


I Am Still Here

by Koizumi_Scarlet



Category: Ghost Hunt
Genre: F/M, Manga Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-06 07:24:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4213020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koizumi_Scarlet/pseuds/Koizumi_Scarlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As an investigator for SPR, Mai is used to seeing malicious spirits. However, their newest case may be the most dangerous one yet, especially as the haunting becomes more complex and confounding than ever. With Naru back for the first time in almost two years, Mai must navigate her feelings as well as the haunted house. With things not as they seem, can Mai survive to see the end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I finally got around to editing and posting my Ghost Hunt story, though I'm not entirely happy with the summary. However, this summary is the fifth rewrite and I eventually decided to just accept it as it is. Keep in mind that this story is self-beta'd, so there may be some mistakes that I missed, though hopefully not a lot. The idea for this story came to me while I was reading The Transfer by Malindorie on FF.net, though mine is not nearly as well written:)
> 
> This story will have ten chapters, each around 2500-3000 words, except for the last chapter, which is the longest of the lot. The story will mainly focus on the mystery of the case, though there will be elements of romance in it.
> 
> Disclaimer: Right, I abhor disclaimers, as I see them as useless, since if I had owned Ghost Hunt, I certainly wouldn't be posting this on AO3. However, for the sake of the site, I do not in any way own Ghost Hunt or make any money with this fic. This disclaimer is also valid for all my other chapters, since I won't be posting it again.
> 
> And so, enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

Mai huffed as she waited for the kettle to finish boiling, her foot tapping the floor in irritation as she flung her hair over her shoulder.

Honestly, she wasn’t even that late.

In fact, her watch told her she had arrived right on time, but did her boss care? No, he just pointed out in that infuriating monotone that she was two minutes late and tea didn’t make itself.

Preparing the cup, she poured in the hot water and waited for the tea to steep, still muttering beneath her breath. Adding two sugars, she placed the cup on a saucer and walked out, handing it to her boss who was sitting innocently on the couch in the waiting area of SPR.

“Thank, Mai-chan!” Mai couldn’t help the smile that flitted over her face, before she frowned again, reminded of her earlier irritation. Placing her hands on her hips, she stared irately at the young man on the couch before her.

“Yasuhara, please don’t imitate Naru again. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Aw, is Mai-chan missing the Big Boss? I was just trying to stand in for him. After all, with how you’re pining after him, I would’ve thought you would love to experience a bit of the old routine!” Mai could feel her face heating up at her best friend’s teasing.

She, however, took several deep breaths and walked to her desk, though not before shooting a death glare at the chuckling man.

It had been some time since Naru left, in fact, Mai had finished High School and with the brilliance of Spring around her, it was finally time to face what she wanted to do after school. In the almost two years since Naru left, Mai had continued working at SPR, for Naru hadn’t closed the branch.

Apparently, Japan was a hotspot for supernatural activity and he still intended to come back, after he had finished his business overseas. To the surprise of all who knew him, he had left Yasuhara in charge of the office.

According to the narcissist, Yasuhara was the only one he believed would be able to type up accurate reports for him and with the help of the usual ghost hunting team, it did not matter that the boy himself had no psychic powers to speak off.

Though everyone had been a bit hesitant to have the prankster-loving graduate as their boss for all apparent purposes, they had been reassured to find out that he would keep up a regular correspondence with Naru, to insure any case they took was approved.

Their minds was further eased when Madoka burst into office one day and declared she had come to make sure they haven’t all been possessed in the absence of Naru. Though the hyper pinkette wasn’t there constantly, she did accompany them on the more difficult cases.

Mai, of course, had instantly been offered a job as an investigator, thanks to her latent ESP and other skills. Although she still wanted to go to college, she had been uncertain what exactly she wanted to study and whether she would even be able to afford it and had so accepted the full-time job offer for the next year while she thought about her future.

After Naru had left, she had been so confused and hurt and hadn’t known what she would do now. It was one of the happiest moments in her life when she heard SPR would stay open, though she did have mixed feelings about going on cases without Naru.

Still, she had resolved that in order to dodge Naru’s comments about her being useless or only good for tea on cases, she had to refine her abilities some. It wasn’t as if she could control them entirely, as she hadn’t really had an instructor, but she could protect herself better and she shared her dreams since she learned how important they could be.

Sighing, she filed the last of the post in the relevant piles and looked around the empty office, as Yasuhara had already left for his own office.

She had to admit that she still wasn’t used to the office without Naru and Yasuhara teasing her by acting like their absent boss caused a slight pain in her chest, though she would never say that to him, as she knew he was actually quite worried about her and didn’t want him to feel guilty.

Usually, her best friend’s antics wouldn’t bother her so much, as she was quite used to his teasing ways, but she had woken from quite a pleasant dream this morning that put her in a horrible mood, as she knew it wasn’t likely that it would ever happen.

It wasn’t as if Naru had feelings for her like she had for him.

The ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts and she startled, jerking her knee into the desk. Cursing in pain, she picked up the phone and tried to sound as pleasant as possible while pain radiated from her leg.

“Shibuya Psychic Research, go-”

“Is this the agency that deals with ghosts and supernatural?” Mai gritted her teeth at the stupid question, but didn’t snap as she wanted to, since the man on the other side seemed quite harried.

“Yes sir, that is correct. How can we help you?”

“I’m in Shibuya right now, would it be possible for me to drop in by the office in about fifteen minutes?”

Mai confirmed that it would be fine and before she even had time to request a name, the dial tone sounded, letting her know the man had already ended the call.

Huffing once again, she put the phone down and stomped to Yasuhara’s office, all the way muttering about how today wasn’t her day and how people were so rude. She knocked and opened the door without waiting for a response, something she never would have done had it not been her best friend sitting behind it.

“Yasu, we have a customer coming to the office in about fifteen minutes. He sounded worried and didn’t leave a name, though his voice sounded like it belonged to a middle aged man.”

“Thanks Mai. If you would be so kind as to prepare some tea for our guest, if he was as upset as you think, maybe it would calm him down some.” Mai nodded and left the stand-in boss to prepare for the man’s arrival while she tidied up her desk some, before going to the kitchen to prepare some tea once again.

Just as she placed the tray with the teapot, cups and sugar on the small coffee table in the living room, the bell rang.

Looking up, a man in his forties with balding salt and pepper hair entered, his dark eyes showing his exhaustion and slight fear. He was dressed in faded jeans and a smart shirt, while his shoes looked old but well taken care of. She could see crows eyes around his eyes and laugh wrinkles. Straightening, she bowed slightly, brightly greeting the man.

“Good morning, my name is Taniyama Mai and this is my boss, Yasuhara Osamu.” The man’s eyes zeroed in on her and Yasuhara, who had just left his office at the sound of the bell, and he bowed shortly.

“Yaomoto Jun. I apologise for my abrupt call, but when I saw your name I the newspaper, I knew I had to come as soon as possible.”

“Of course, don’t worry about it. Please sit down and we’ll listen to what you have to say.” Yaomoto-san seemed relieved as he sat down and gratefully accepted Mai’s offer for tea. After he had taken a sip and some tension left his shoulders, Yasuhara sat forwards, his laptop already in front of him.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” The nineteen year old asked. The man lowered his cup and the lines on his face seemed to deepen.

“Well, recently, there have been strange happenings around a certain piece of property my family owns. This property has been in the family for generations and never before did we have any trouble with it. About two months ago, we wanted to start tearing down the current house on the property, as it was starting to fall into disrepair and while it is still liveable, it won’t be more than two years before it would be dangerous to live there. However, as soon as the construction crews started to work there, unexplainable things started happening.”

Yasuhara glanced up at the man’s pause and, seeming to understand the man’s hesitance, smiled reassuringly.

“I know it may seem strange to talk about the supernatural, but please don’t worry. It’s our job to hear and investigate things like this.” Mai nodded brightly at her boss’s words and Yaomoto-san seemed slightly reassured, so he carried on.

“Well, it started with little things that could still be explained as the negligence of the workers, such as plans for the dismantling of the house being displaced and tools becoming lost. However, the workers swore it wasn’t their doing and as my friend is their boss and vouched for their integrity, I believed them. I thought it could have been some of the children of the village, but had no proof. But I put it out of my mind, as it wasn’t so serious.

“Then, one day, one of the workers had an accident. He fell down the stairs and though he wasn’t seriously injured, he claimed that someone pushed him. Yet he was the only worker near the house at that stage. As he was fine to work again the next day, having only acquired a couple of bruises, we dismissed it as an accident.

“Yet there was another incident, where another worker had nearly been run over when the bulldozer’s brake had somehow been released, despite that no one was operating it or near it. Even if the break had not been working properly, that type of machine is not meant to move that easily on its own, even if it was on a slight incline.”

Mai was horrified at how close one of the people there had come to dying, but so far, nothing the man said indicated that it was more than negligence and vandalism. Their client continued speaking, and Mai turned her attention back to him.

“This, while worrying, was not enough for me to stop the project, though I did suspend it for a few days while a full inquiry and check on the machinery was run. After we started again, it seemed that all would go well. However, about a week after we started, things started happening again. One person was injured grievously when a beam fell on him, despite that part of the house not really having been touched yet, due to the setbacks we had, and was admitted to the hospital for a few days. There would also be words carved into the walls of the house, seeing as it’s primarily built out of wood.”

“What would these words say?” Light glinted off Yasuhara’s glasses as he watched the man with a keen eye.

“It would say stuff like ‘Leave!’ or ‘Beware!’, though I had thought it more vandalism. Even with the added security, each morning we returned to the house, there would be more words gouged in the wood. The most terrifying thing is that there would be evidence of dried blood, as if whoever had done it had used their own hands to gouge out the words…”

Mai stifled a gasp, thinking about how painful it would be to do that and how desperate this ghost or person would have to be to use their own fingers in such an act.

Or how insane the ghost would have to be.

It reminded her of a case they had taken at an old house, where words would be gouged on the walls in a similar manner. It had turned out to be the ghost of the previous owner’s son who had mental problems and was locked in the house.

“Though this was all quite worrying, I had not yet thought to contact someone for supernatural assistance, until the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I got three separate reports of workers sighting a strange woman around the house and property. She would be dressed in the garb of a miko and would just look at them. Right before they would lose sight of her, she would appear to say something, though they couldn’t hear her.

“Then, last week, something finally happened that convinced me I had to seek help.

“My daughter and her friends were playing around the property one day, even though I had warned her not to play there, because it was dangerous. She told me they had a dare of who would go into the haunted house, as they call it, and so she entered it. She still refuses to tell me what happened, but when she came back out…”

The man’s voice broke off, his breath seeming to hitch and Mai could see the tears brimming in his eyes.

“Yaomoto-san, it’s alright if you can’t speak immediately. Take your time.” Mai murmured as she smiled gently, pouring the distraught man another cup of tea, which he downed in one go.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to talk again, but seemingly couldn’t find the words.

Finally, he just reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out three photos. Handing the photos to Yasuhara, Yaomoto-san spoke again and Mai leaned over to get a look at the photos.

What she saw had her gasping as she lifted a hand to her mouth, tears filling her eyes.

“This was on my daughter’s body when she came out of the house, crying. I don’t know how she got it, as she’s six years old and certainly wouldn’t do it to herself and that day was a day the workers had off from work, so no one else was there. I was walking around the property, trying to see if there was anything else out of place when I heard her crying and her friends’ screaming.”

Mai’s eyes roved over the photos, her mind in a state of disbelief that someone would do this to a child.

The first photo showed a small girl with dark brown hair baring her back to the camera. Down the middle of her back, the kanji ‘去る’ meaning to _‘leave, depart, go away!’_ was scrawled in red.It looked as if it was written in blood, since the liquid was drying and flaking away.

The next photo was a close up of the girl from the front and showed her covering her modesty while still allowing the viewers to see the next set of kanji markings, which was placed right over her heart. These ones said _‘Stay away!’_ and the writer seemed more agitated.

However, it was the last photo that tore at Mai’s heart. It was a close up of the girl’s neck and was gruesome to say the least.

All around her neck, like a demented tattooed choker, the words _‘I am still here’_ was repeatedly slashed, like someone had taken a thin blade and lightly carved it into the girl’s skin, not enough to cause her to die because her windpipe was damaged, but deep enough that one could see the slight raising of the flesh and Mai knew that if the girl hadn’t been found almost immediately, she would have bled out and died.

Yasuhara’s face was grim as he studied the photos and Mai suddenly understood why it was so painful for the man to talk about.

“I see. This does warrant extreme concern indeed. If I may ask, where do you live?” The man looked up and Mai could see the hopeful glint in his eyes.

“I live in a small village at the base of Mt. Fuji, called Oshino Hakkai.” Mai smiled in excitement as she heard where the case would be if they accepted it, though she was sure Naru would approve it. She had never before been to Mt. Fuji, even though it was only about an hour and a half’s drive from Shibuya and she would be excited to see the great volcano.

“Alright. If you would give Mai here your details, we will be there to investigate tomorrow. If I may ask, how far did you get with the demolition of the house?”

“Not very far, since we had all of these set-backs and inquiries. I would say about half of the house has been demolished, but it is fairly big, being modelled after the shinden-zukuri style of the Heian Period, though since it was rebuilt and remodelled twice after the eruptions of Mt. Fuji, it does have modern touches.”

“So would it be possible for me and my team to reside in the house itself for the duration of the investigation? And you also mentioned modern touches, does this include electrical outlets and the like?”

“I don’t see why not, though I can’t be responsible for what may happen. A large part of the house is still structurally sound, however, if we’re really dealing with a ghost, I don’t know why you would want to sleep in the same residence as it. However, to answer your question, it would be possible and there are rooms that have electrical outlets yes.”

Yasuhara grinned as he stood, snapping his laptop shut. “Excellent! If you could prepare three rooms for us, one preferably with a lot of electrical outlets, then we will see you tomorrow.” 

After getting Yaomoto-san’s confirmation, contact details and address, they bid him farewell and Mai turned to her best friend.

She couldn’t understand her friend’s actions, usually he told the client they would let him know in a few hours if they could accept the case, as they had to consult with Naru.

“Yasu, why did you accept the case without Naru’s approval? He’s going to be so mad!”

“Oh, my dear Mai, you wound me! Do you not trust my judgement? The kids of these days, they have no faith in their elders! Why, in my days-”

“Yasu!” Mai folded her arms, showing her boss she had no patience for his spiel today and the man grinned, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

“Well, dear Mai-chan, I did in fact ask the Big Boss, as we were interviewing Yaomoto-san and he seemed _very_ interested in this case. So interested in fact, that he’s getting the old gang back for it.”

“But Yasu, we’ve been working with the ‘old gang’ this entire time.”

“Minus two.” Mai paused at Yasuhara’s smug voice and her brow furrowed. Minus two…? Did he mean-

“That’s correct! Naru is coming back to Japan!”

Mai didn’t know if her heart was beating rapidly in elation… or in dread.

*


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, here is chapter two for you readers. Thank you, guest, who left kudos, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well:)
> 
> I decided that I will review once a week, meaning each Friday. I am very sorry this chapter is a day late, but up until about two hours ago I had absolutely NO internet and so couldn't do anything about the chapter.
> 
> Anyways, Enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

' **Stay away, stay away, stayawaystayawaystayawaystayaway STAY AWAY!'**

" _Mai!"_

The sleeping 18 year old jerked awake, blearily looking around her. Yasuhara was grinning from the car's doorway and Mai could see the mirth in his eyes.

"You know, now that Big Boss is coming back, you'll have to be careful about when you fall asleep. I'm sure he wouldn't be as lenient as I am." Mai grumbled at the good-natured teasing, though the prospect of seeing Naru again soon took away her ire.

"Yeah yeah, he can complain all he wants, but we both know I usually get valuable information from my dreams."

Climbing out of the car, Mai's eyes widened at the beautiful scene in front of her.

Beautiful Cherry-blossom trees were everywhere in the quaint village of Oshino Hakkai. To her, it looked almost like more than half the village was built on top of water, as she saw the well-known 8 ponds of the village. Beautiful walkways lined with flowers led to the different tourist attractions. All in all, it looked completely serene.

"So, where is this site we're investigating?" Mai looked around, but the peaceful village showed no sign of any construction taking place at all.

"Ah no, while our client lives in Oshino Hakkai, the house and property we're investigating is on private property near Yamanakako Lake. It's in quite a secluded area and about a 17 minutes' drive from here. We made a stop here, as the client himself will show us where the house is located and also give us the records of the demolition process at the moment."

Mai nodded in acceptance and wandered towards the village, drawn by the calm waters and beautiful blossoms. Though there were quite a few tourists around, it couldn't take away the natural feeling the place had. Wooden houses stood at the water's edge and vines grew up the sides of the houses. New blossoms were opening everywhere and a waterwheel stood calmly at the side of one house, also covered in vines. The people around her seemed to murmur softly, not willing to disturb the quiet atmosphere and she could feel her shoulders relaxing.

Walking around, she admired the serene quality the entire village had and gasped in delight as she looked upon Mt Fuji in the distance, towering into the sky magnificently with its snow-topped peak. She leaned on the railing of one pond and stared at the fishes that lived within. Her mind seemed to slow down as she was hypnotised by the graceful movements of the fishes and the quiet babbling of the water. Her eyes slowly closed-

' _ **Leave!'**_

Mai jerked upright, staring around wildly as her breath came out in gasps. People were looking at her strangely, but she ignored them, trying to see who had spoken to her, but there was no one really close to her. Deciding that it would probably be better if she returned to the car, she turned around and made her way back.

She could feel her heartbeat calming as she looked at the magnificent dragon fountain and curved walkways, allowing her flushed face to cool to its natural complexion. When she neared the area Yasu had parked the car, she saw Yasuhara talking to Yaomoto-san and she sped up.

"Ah Mai, I was just about to come looking for you. Ayako-san and the rest arrived while you were wandering around. We're also almost ready to go, as Yaomoto-san is just going to go fetch his car." Bowing to their client, Mai smiled as she followed the sound of squabbling and it wasn't long before she saw Ayako and Bou-san heckling each other.

Masako was standing to one side, seemingly unaffected by the argument happening in front of her, but Mai could hear that every time the couple started to calm down, she would interject quietly with a low comment and they would be at each other's throats again.

John was standing in front of the quibbling couple, trying to calm them down, but Mai could see the resigned atmosphere around him. They were all used to Ayako and Bou-san's arguments and it was usually better to just let them sort it out themselves. Naru was the only one who could ever stop them with just a look or word.

"Hey everyone!" Mai waved as the quarrel stopped and she was subjected to one of Bou-san's bear hugs. As soon as she was released, she was pulled into Ayako's arms as the priestess asked after her health. Reassuring the doctor and miko that she was fine, she greeted Masako and gave John a hug as he said hello.

Though she and Masako were actually friends now, ever since they had a heart-to-heart after Naru left and Masako had found herself a boyfriend, Masako still wasn't the type to really give hugs, though it was known to happen on a few occasions.

"How are you holding up Mai?" The quiet question from Masako had Mai's smile slipping slightly, though it was back on her face after a split-second, the result being that only Masako had noticed. She knew the kimono-wearing girl was actually asking about how she felt that Naru would be coming back and to be honest, she wasn't sure of her feelings.

After her confession to Naru and his less than stellar response, she had been agonizing over the answer to his question. It hadn't even been a day after he had asked her  _'Me, or Gene?'_ that she had been certain that she loved Naru, not the Dream Naru, or otherwise known as Gene.

It was obvious really.

The entire reason she had treasured Dream Naru was because she had loved the real Naru. His smiles only seemed special because she never saw them in real life. The one time Naru had smiled at her, after the case at Yasuhara's school, she had a much more explosive reaction than she had to the smiles of Gene.

After another few days of contemplation, she had realised that she mainly felt guilty and grateful towards Gene.

Guilty because she had inadvertently treated him like his brother and a figure of her imagination and grateful for all the help he gave her.

However, it was Naru's subtle kindness that drew her like a moth to a flame, his teasing comments that caused her blood to boil, his intellect that elicited such anger and pride.

But…

It had been almost two years since she saw Naru or interacted with him at all. She couldn't be sure of her feelings any longer. She knew what she thought she felt, but she was not as naïve as to believe that feelings couldn't change over a long period of time. So she had resolved to wait and see how she reacted to his presence before she made any decisions.

"I'm totally fine! Healthy as an ox and ready to kick some ghost butt!" Bou-san laughed at her determined face and Ayako and John smiled. It was Masako who lifted her sleeve to her mouth and slyly replied.

"Oho? Mai, are you actually going to be of use on this case? I remember our most recent case and a certain someone who was knocked out by the ghost on the second day and subsequently in an unconscious state for the duration of the investigation."

Mai's face flared up as she remembered her blunder on the previous case that led to her spirit being held captive by the ghost until it was finally exorcized. "Why you-"

"Mai! My other minions! It's time to leave!" Sticking her tongue out at her friend, she laughed as they all complained and huffed about being called minions and she turned and ran back to Yasuhara's car, smiling at the young man as she buckled her seatbelt. It wasn't more than a few moments before they were back on the road and the next twenty minutes were filled with idle chatter as they followed their client.

By the time they reached the house, it was around 11a.m. and Mai was happy to finally be at their ghost site. She marvelled at the large estate, which was impressive even though most of the left half was demolished.

Still in a daze over the majestic house and the remains of a rock garden she could see, she followed the client and Yasuhara as he showed the two bedrooms he had prepared, one which was significantly larger to accommodate the men, and then he showed them the room that would become their base. Luckily, there were enough electrical outlets, along with three large desks and a few chairs with a small kitchen area and two couches.

"Alright, Bou-san, John and I will carry in the equipment. Ayako-san and Masako-chan, will you please walk around the property and house and see if you can find anything. Mai, if you would stay here to start setting up when we bring the equipment, that would be wonderful."

Mai smiled at Yasuhara's crisp orders, remembering when the same orders where given by a certain narcissist in a much less polite manner. Everyone agreed and walked out of the base, leaving Mai there alone.

She started pushing two of the desks together to hold the equipment and placed the other desk near them. The couches were pushed until they faced each other and the chairs put in a corner to be out of the way while they set up everything.

When the men returned, they placed their burdens on the floor, before leaving to get the next haul and Mai busied herself by putting the shelves together. Finishing that, she placed the pin-up board she had insisted they bring along since a year ago on the wall, where she assumed an artwork or mirror previously hung, as they was still a hook for her to use.

With everyone working together, it wasn't long before the screens and such were set up and Mai had already pinned the few things they knew on the notice board.

They would do the interviews tomorrow, as Yaomoto-san had said he was going to postpone the demolition until they had finished their investigation and that he would bring the men who had experienced anything supernatural there tomorrow.

Just as they had finished, Ayako and Masako returned and Mai swore up and down that they timed it, since they were never there to help with the grunt work.

"Anything Masako-chan?" Mai watched curiously as the medium raised her sleeve in front of her face before she spoke.

"Yes, one female presence. I couldn't get a clear reading on her, as she seemed kind of… shy or faded."

"Faded?" Bou-san asked. Masako nodded as she turned her attention to the monk.

"Yes, almost as if she is not entirely here. I feel as if her energies are split, but it's not as if she isn't entirely here…"

"How could a ghost's energies be split, or rather, what would cause the split?" Ayako questioned and Mai made sure she wrote down everything they said in her ringed notebook. Masako shook her head, indicating she didn't know and no one else answered her.

"Well, on that note, I will do some research about the house and property, as well as previous owners. I'll see if I can find out what causes a ghost's energy to be faded as well. Bou-san, if you and Mai could please set up the cameras and take the temperatures, then John and Masako-chan could go and make sure the blueprints we got for the house is correct. Ayako-san, if possible, could you please make a few charms for us that we can put up in the base and rooms to ensure no unfriendly visitors intrude?"

Mai saluted before she and Bou-san took their leave and Ayako sat down to start with her charms. John left with Masako to check the house's measurements. Not that Masako would exactly be of any help there. She would probably stand around and order John to do this and that and _maybe_  write down the measurements.

"So Jou-chan, are you excited to see Naru-bou again?" Mai sighed, before putting on a smile. It seemed everyone wanted to know how she felt and she didn't know what to tell them.

"I'm fine, really Bou-san! Sure, I'm happy Naru is coming back, but it's been almost two years. I don't know what to feel really." Bou-san nodded, before they reached the first location on the piece of paper Yasuhara had handed to them.

Listening to Yasu's directions, they positioned the camera and took the temperature, before they moved on. It seemed so far that most of the activity had happened near the relative centre of the middle wing of the house, so they positioned the cameras there for the moment, at least till Naru arrived and decided he wanted them elsewhere.

Mai didn't think Naru would move them really, Yasu's usually quite good at deducing where the cameras should be to get maximum coverage. Placing the last of the cameras, they positioned it and Yasuhara told them he'll be off now to visit the nearest library, which was quite a ways off, and should be back in a few hours' time.

Since it was long past lunch, Mai and Bou-san headed back and saw that Ayako, who had finished the charms, had made some sandwiches for them. Mai thanked her as she sat down to eat and it wasn't long before John and Masako returned as well.

"The measurements seem spot on, there are no inexplicable differences. Masako also said that the female ghost seemed to be centred around a certain area, though her presence can be felt throughout the house."

Mai took out her notebook, writing down the area Masako said was probably the home base of the ghost, though they couldn't be entirely sure. Ripping out the page, she pinned it on the board and returned to the couches. It was Ayako who spoke up next as she stood and gathered her charms.

"Well, I'll go place those charms in the rooms so long. I think as long as there is one person in base at all times, everyone else can go settle in their rooms." Mai cheered and pulled Ayako out of the room, with Masako following, before anyone could protest. John sighed as he looked towards the monk, who shrugged before he left. Looking at the empty room, John smiled and went to go sit and make sure all the cameras are working and watching the monitors.

It was only the next morning that they saw the first activity happening. When Mai woke up and went to the base, she found the rest of the team already there, clustered around the screens.

"Hey guys, did something exciting happen?" Bou-san looked up, beckoning her over as he answered.

"You could say that. There have been some footsteps recorded and more words gouged in the wood. The most worrying one is the words 'go away' gouged into the doors of our rooms, seemingly without us hearing it."

"What?!" Mai blanched. She hadn't even noticed the word this morning. Of course, she had no reason to look at the door's outside, since it was already open when she woke up.

"I'm not surprised you didn't hear it. They say fools sleep the deepest when in danger." Mai tensed at the very familiar arrogant voice, her heart beating fast as she froze. Her mind seemed to loop and she was stuck on one thought.

_He is back, he is back, heisbackheisback-_

"Noll, manners please. You haven't seen them for more than a year and half and an insult is the first thing that comes out of your mouth?" Madoka's cheery voice interjected and Mai finally turned around as the rest of the group burst into chatter as they greeted their old members.

There, looking as aloof as ever, was Naru, still wearing black and his cool eyes scanning the group silently. Lin stood behind him and though the stoic man didn't speak, Mai could see the amusement in his eyes. Madoka was enthusiastically greeting everyone, chatting eagerly with Yasuhara and laughing at Ayako and Bou-san.

"Mai! It's been too long!" Mai snapped out of her daze and smiled at Madoka, hugging the woman tightly and chattering a mile a minute. She was so caught up with Madoka, that she didn't see Naru's eyes alighting on her for longer than normal.

By the time she turned back to her actual boss, he was already in front of the desk and silently leaning against it as he observed the antics of the team. Lin was in front of the monitors, rewinding it to show to Naru later.

"Hello Naru, it's been a while. It's good to see you." Naru's eyes seemed to mock her obvious comment and she flushed at his silence. Her eyes narrowed and she huffed, turning to Lin.

"Hello Lin! It's really good to see you again! Are you guys back for good or only for this case?" Lin's face didn't really change to people who didn't know him, but Mai could see the small smile he had.

"It's good to see you as well Taniyama-san. So far, it's uncertain if we're staying after the case, we'll see what the decision is by the end of it." Mai nodded, slightly sad that there weren't any definite plans, but when she glanced at Naru again, she felt anger push up in her as he was talking to Yasuhara about the case.

He left right after discovering Gene's body and the only times they heard from him was through e-mails. Now he just comes back and pretend nothing has happened? As if two years hadn't gone by? As if he hadn't crushed Mai's heart and left before he could see the consequences?

The anger bubbled right beneath the surface and Mai was determined not to fall in love with a jerk like that again. It was very easy to remember Naru's good points when he was on another continent, not so easy when he was right in front of her being his infuriating self.

"When are the interview scheduled for?"

"Any minute no-" Yasu's reply to Naru's question was cut off by the sound of a large car arriving outside and the engine being turned off. It wasn't long before they could hear the murmuring of deep voices and Yaomoto-san appeared at the door to the base.

"Good morning everyone! I brought the workers you asked for. Oh, hello, who might you be? I met the rest of the team yesterday, but I don't recall you being there."

Madoka stepped forward, smiling brightly as she shook the confused man's hand.

"Yes, we've only arrived today. I'm Mori Madoka and this is Lin Koujo. We're investigators with SPR. That there is Shibuya Kazuya, the boss of SPR." Yaomoto-san seemed slightly overwhelmed, but he bowed nonetheless and introduced himself.

"Pleased to meet you, my name is Yaomoto Jun. I'm sorry to ask, but I was under the impression that Yasuhara-san was the boss of SPR?" Yasuhara laughed and decided to help the man out before Naru could say something scathing.

"Ah you see, Shibuya-san was in England for a while and I was just standing in for him. He's the actual boss of SPR." Yaomoto-san's face cleared and he nodded, happy to have cleared up the misunderstanding.

"Ok, how do you want to do the interviews? Is there a specific order you want to do it to?"

"Yes. If you could send in the men in the order the events have happened, meaning the man who was pushed down the stairs first, then we could get started." Naru interjected firmly, as he sat behind the only open desk and folded his hands on the table top. Lin sat down next to him, laptop open and a new document waiting to record the interviews.

The first man came in and settled himself in the chair across from Naru. And so the interviews began.

There wasn't a lot that the workers said that they didn't already know, as Yaomoto-san had given quite accurate reports written by the men. It was only when the three people who had seen an apparition started to get interviewed, that Naru sat straight. The first to come in was a tall woman in jeans and a faded shirt. Mai could see the tanned skin and lean muscles the woman had, though her face was strict but open. Her hair, kept short, stood up haphazardly and she nodded respectfully as she sat down.

"Please state your name for the record and tell me what you experienced."

"Sasaki Haruna, I'm the forewoman and boss of the construction company. I was one of the people who saw a woman watching us, dressed as a miko."

Mai was surprised, as she didn't know about a lot of woman who ran construction companies, but she continued to listen as Naru questioned her.

"Tell me, Sasaki-san, could you describe this woman to me?" The woman briskly nodded and continued.

"Of course. She had long black hair tied back with a white ribbon in the traditional miko  _sagegami_  style and wore the white  _hakui_  and red  _hakama_ , with white  _tabi_ socks and  _zori_  sandals. I wasn't close enough to see her exact eye colour, but it looked dark. She was short, shorter than your assistant here."

"Jou-chan, how long are you?" Bou-san asked.

"Huh? About 161cm, last time I checked." The woman seemed to think, measuring Mai with her eyes and then continued.

"Then I guess this woman was around 145/146cm (4 feet 8). She was very slim and pale."

"Did she do anything other than stare at you?"

"Yes. It looked like she seemed to realise that I noticed her, for her mouth moved as if she was trying to speak, but even though she wasn't that far away, I couldn't hear a sound. She seemed to become quite agitated, but when I looked around for anyone else, she was gone."

Naru shifted into what Mai used to call his 'thinking pose' and her heart clenched at seeing it again. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of these traitorous thoughts and feelings and concentrated on acting professional.

"Could you give me an estimation of her age? Also, did you feel some emotion when you looked at her, or did she seem to exhibit any other emotion than agitation?"

The woman thought for a while, then nodded, as if she made up her mind. "She seemed fairly young, I would say around 16 years old, maybe 17. And when I first saw her, she looked as if she was sad and worried. Even when she became agitated, it wasn't like she became angry, but rather frustrated."

"Thank you Sasaki-san. If there's nothing else, you can go." Sasaki-san nodded and stood, leaving the room. Everyone was quiet as Naru thought and the next two interviews flew past, both men saying the same thing Sasaki-san said, if in less detail.

"That's all of the workers, Naru-bou. No one else saw or experienced something." Just as Naru was about to comment, a small voice interrupted him.

"Are you here to take away the ghosts? Are you going to hurt the nice lady?"

Mai spun around, only to see a small girl standing in the doorway, glaring up at Naru defiantly.

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo, still not too much action, though Mai had made contact (if you can call hearing voices making contact hahaha) with the spirit. o yeah, also, no offence to women about how I had Mai be surprised that the boss of a construction company was a woman, I am a very liberal woman myself and that was just something I know most people would think. I am not trying to portray Mai as conservative or anything.
> 
> Now, I really look forward to comments, hearing from you guys make me so motivated and happy. Ask any questions (that doesn't inquire for spoilers:) and I'll happily answer it. Hope to hear from you amazingly wonderful readers that keep me going! (That's sweet-talking at its sweetest;p)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, I'm starting to believe the world doesn't want me posting on Fridays for some reason, as I continue to have internet problems on that day. As such, the chapter is once again a day late and I apologize profusely!
> 
> Thank you for all the kudos, it's nice to know there's actually people reading my first attempt at a ghost hunt fic:)
> 
> Another thing I just wanted to clear up, the M rating is mostly for gore (or as close as I write to it) and not sexual in nature. Sorry if I raised the wrong expectations *sweatdrop*
> 
> And now, Enjoy!

 

**Chapter 3**

Mai smiled in amusement at this tiny child who was glaring at Naru, though he looked nonplussed. She had to admit, this girl had guts to not quail under Naru's own poker face.

"Aiko! I told you not to wander off without me!" Yaomoto-san came around the doorway, his eyes fixed worriedly on who Mai presumed was his daughter. She had a bandage wrapped around her throat, but it didn't seem to bother the small girl.

"But daddy! They want to chase the nice lady away!"

"What nice lady?" Naru demanded and Mai could see the small girl flinch a bit at his cold tone. However, when she turned to berate the man, she could see he had noticed the flinch as well and though his face didn't show it, his eyes showed some regret for his harsh tone.

"Ne, Aiko-chan, did the nice lady look like a miko with long black hair?" Aiko seemed a bit unsure at Naru's attitude, but at Mai's question, she regained some confidence.

"Yes, her hair was so long, it came to below her-" Aiko looked around furtively and shuffled closer to Mai, before whispering, "bum. She was very pretty, but she looked so sad."

"Did the nice lady say anything? Maybe she told you a story?" But Aiko shook her head, her hair flying about her face.

"No, she didn't speak, she just smiled at me. I was crying, because I had fallen and my neck hurt, but she sat on her knees in front of me and helped me up. She then dusted the dirt off my dress and took my hand. I was a bit lost you see, because I became scared of this one room and ran away, but I didn't know where I ran to. So she led me to a door and then when I ran out and realised she wasn't coming with me, I turned around and she was gone."

Mai swallowed, reminded that this was the girl who had words carved into her neck, before she patted Aiko's head.

"Ne, Aiko-chan, I know it's scary, but can I please see your neck? I won't touch it or hurt you, I promise." After a moment of hesitance and a glance at her father, she nodded and stood still as Mai carefully unwound the bandage. It took all her self-control to not flinch when she saw the girl's neck.

The flesh was red and irritated, swelling a bit where the words were carved. Painful ridges jutted up to form the words  _'I am still here'_ , though Mai could see it was starting to heal slightly. She could hear the team gasping behind her and Aiko seemed to slightly hunch in on herself. She gently took the girl's shoulders and when her brown eyes met the girl's, she smiled again.

"Thank you for showing me, that was very brave. Ayako, if you could please fetch some new bandages in the first aid kit, so that we can wrap her neck again?" Ayako quickly fetched the requested bandages and smiled at the girl as she gently started wrapping them around her neck.

"Not to worry Aiko-chan, I'm a doctor so I won't hurt you." Aiko smiled and waited patiently till the redhead was done, before bounding over to her father. Mai glanced at Madoka and coming to an anonymous decision to not let Naru speak to the girl again, despite the fact that he didn't mean to frighten her. Madoka came forward, smiling brightly.

"Aiko-chan, do you think you could show us which room frightened you? I promise you won't have to go in again, just show us where it is." Seeming more hesitant and nervous this time, she nodded slowly and clutched Mai's hand tightly as she led them out of the base.

At first, the brunette was confused, as Aiko was leading them outside and around the property, but then she saw that the girl was leading them to another entrance and surmised that this must be the entrance she used when she entered the first time. There was a few times the girl seemed uncertain about which way to turn, but luckily the room wasn't that far from the entrance and she eventually came to a stop outside it.

"Is this the room that was scary?" Hiding behind Mai, Aiko nodded and when Mai made to open the door, she ran to her dad, who picked her up and held her in his arms securely. Glancing back at Naru, who was staring silently, she opened the door and looked around.

She could see nothing out of the ordinary and Madoka bounded inside before her, glancing around the bare room. There was no furniture in the room and directly opposite the door, was a huge window that could open, with a magnificent tree right outside it. Letting out a breath, she wasn't sure if she was disappointed or not at the lack of anything interesting in the room and stepped over the threshold.

' _ **LEAVE! GO AWAY, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE! Stay away, stayawaystayawaystayawaystayaway STAY AWAY!'**_

Mai stumbled and fell to her knees as the voice of a woman screamed in her ears, her entire body ringing with the force that seemed to push against her. She could hear Masako gasping behind her and Bou-san calling out worriedly, but Mai couldn't respond as black dots started to flicker in front of her and her breath came out in short gasps. She heard someone calling her name and she wanted to answer, but couldn't.

" _Mai!"_

With the last thought of why would Naru be calling her name resounding through her mind, she slipped into unconsciousness.

**Mai opened her eyes to blackness. Blinking a few times, she stood up from where she had been lying and looked around. By now, she knew she was on the Astral Plane, but she was still uncertain what to look for. Through trial and error, and with her life being threatened a few times, Mai had realised that it wasn't smart to call out to a spirit, since all surrounding spirits were liable to answer her call.**

" **Mai…"**

**Spinning around, Mai saw a familiar black haired boy standing behind her and she almost blurted out 'Naru' before she saw the gentle smile on his face.**

" **Gene…" She breathed. It was the first time she had spoken to him since she actually knew who he was and suddenly, she didn't entirely know what to say. However, when she saw that the boy was going to speak again, she suddenly felt a great urgency to speak before he did, otherwise she never would get this off her chest.**

" **I'm very sorry!" Mai bowed low, clenching her eyes shut as she continued.**

" **I thought you were Naru and never asked you who you actually were. You wanted to tell me the last time we met right? I'm so sorry I didn't listen then, that I acted in such a way that you felt you couldn't tell me."**

**By now, Gene was trying to stop Mai, but she ignored him.**

" **And… Thank you very much! You really helped me out on cases. Without you, I would probably be dead by now." Mai straightened and looked at the boy opposite her, who sighed and smiled again.**

" **It's fine Mai. I never told you that I wasn't Noll, so part of the blame lies with me. And though I did guide you into dreams, most of the rest was all you."**

**Mai could feel her heart warming when she saw Gene's kind smile and she felt protected by him, almost like an older brother would protect their younger sister. Once, she might have felt something more for Gene, but unlike Naru, it was a feeling that had morphed into something more platonic. Gene was too much like Mai was.**

" **This time, I'll get to know the real you." The two smiled at one another, before Mai's eyes snapped wider.**

" **Wait. If you're here, it means you haven't moved on! Gene! It's dangerous to stay in this world as a spirit! Why haven't you passed on? Follow the light and all that."**

**Gene laughed softly at her words, but she could see the subtle sadness lingering behind his eyes.**

" **I don't know. After my body was buried, there was a period when I was…faded. Like I had lost my energy or purpose. It was almost like I went to sleep and only saw events irregularly. This is the first time I feel truly awake. But we can talk about that later. After all, you do still have a glimpse of the past to dream."**

**Before Mai could protest, their surroundings changed and she was looking upon a moderately sized Shinto shrine.**

**A magnificent cherry-blossom tree stood at the front and she could see an old man wearing a worn vest and loose pants, a** _**hitatare** _ **, as he was sweeping the yard. His clothes looked odd, like pictures she had seen of the clothes people wore in the Heian Era, or maybe the Kamekura Era.**

**It wasn't long before she saw a small girl come running out, her kimono tied up to stay out of the way. The man laughed and swept her up, twirling her around in the air, before he knelt and placed her on the ground. Mai couldn't hear what they were saying and she walked a bit closer, curiosity spurring her on.**

" **Ojii, am I going to be a miko like mama was?" Mai thought the girl looked to be around four years old, but she couldn't be certain.**

" **Yes my darling Kaede, you will begin your training when you reach the age of four. We will need to start soon. The Samurais and Buddhists have trampled our beliefs into the ground I fear, and you will have to be the one to guard them."**

**The girl, whom Mai now knew was named Kaede, cocked her head to the side, obviously not understanding what her grandfather was saying.**

" **Ojii…?" The man seemed to snap out of his daze, though Mai could still see the sorrow in his eyes. The man's entire body seemed slumped, as if he was bearing an incredible weight on his wizened shoulders.**

" **We have entered a new era Kaede and I fear I am being left behind. You will need to be brave my child. You are the only one strong enough to ensure our family's survival." Mai could feel herself fading back into consciousness, but she couldn't tear her eyes from those sorrowful, old eyes.**

' _ **Remember Kaede…'**_

Mai's eyes snapped open, before she squeezed them shut again as the light blinded her. Using her lashes to filter the light, she slowly got used to it and was finally able to open her eyes completely. Trying to sit up, she groaned at how stiff her muscles were and her throat was painfully dry.

"Jou-chan!" Looking up, she saw that Bou-san was looking towards her, relief clear on his face. Upon his exclamation, the rest of the SPR team's heads swivelled around to see her sitting up from where she had been lying on the couch, one hand delicately placed on her head as she rubbed the bump she got when she collapsed.

John sat down next to her and handed her a cup of water, which she gratefully gulped down and sighed as she felt the water sooth her sore throat.

"What happened?" It was Masako who answered the girl, since the others didn't seem to know what caused her brief bout of unconsciousness.

"The spirit made an appearance. She was quite…distraught. Her emotions overwhelmed you, as you were actually in the room with her. I was luckily still outside, so though I felt dizzy, I didn't have to deal with the onslaught as you did." Mai nodded, remembering the voice that had resounded through her head.

"Mai. Tell me what you heard." Mai glared at Naru for his abrupt words, but sighed when the man didn't so much as twitch.

"She was screaming that we had to leave. She said we never should have come here and that we should go away. That's all I heard, though I felt panicked and frustrated." Naru nodded, his brow furrowed as he thought.

"Although… Naru, I had a dream…" Cobalt eyes pinned her where she sat and she fidgeted, but continued to talk, following Naru's silent demand.

"I saw a Shinto Shrine, not very big, but also not too small I guess. There was this old man who was cleaning, when this young girl who I think was his granddaughter came running. They were talking, but I couldn't hear everything. The girl asked something about if she was going to become a shrine maiden like her mother was and the old man said yes. He said something about her being the only one strong enough to ensure their family's survival, or something like that. He seemed very sad when he talked about it."

Naru seemed deep in thought, turning the new information over in his mind. "Anything else?"

"Yes, he called the girl Kaede. He also said something about Buddhists and samurais taking over the world or some such nonsense." Naru levelled an unimpressed stare at Mai, but he did seem satisfied at the new information.

"Looks like you are some use after all. You've gotten better." Mai blushed, strangely happy that Naru had complimented her skill…

"But there is still much room for improvement."

Before he ruined it with his added comment. Mai reddened in anger and took a deep breath, ready to let loose a tirade against her infuriating boss…

"Mai, tea."

…Before she was effectively cut off. Startled by the familiar and nostalgic order, she was silent just long enough for Naru to smirk at her and return to his papers at the desk.

Grumbling beneath her breath, she walked over to the small kitchen area, since the actual kitchen has already been demolished, and boiled water for Naru's tea.

Preparing the cup, she continued to grumble outwardly, but inwardly she felt an irrational sense of happiness. It certainly was a different feeling from when Yasu had pretended to be Naru. Speaking of Yasuhara…

"Yasuhara, see if you can find out if there was any Shrine built on this land previously. Go as far back as the Kamekura Era. Also, see how many Kaede's have lived on this property till now, and also look into any death that occurred on the property or nearby. I want a full report as soon as possible. Madoka, go with Yasuhara-san and help him with the research."

"Sure thing Big Boss!" Yasu saluted the dark-haired boy, before he left the room with Madoka to once again go to the library. Yesterday's search had only revealed information about the house that they already knew thanks to Yaomoto-san, but now he had a bit of a better idea of what to look for.

"Takigawa-kun, I want you and Father Brown to perform an exorcism on the room we visited earlier. Even if it doesn't work, see if you can get a better feel for this spirit. Hara-san, I want you to accompany them and see if you can see this spirit for yourself. It would be best if we can positively identify it as soon as possible. Matsuzaki-san, go change the tapes in the cameras and Mai…"

Mai perked up, watching her boss in anticipation. "Yes Naru?"

"Where is my tea?" Scowling at the egotistic, tea-addicted narcissist, she finished his tea and placed it before him, folding her arms as she waited for a thank you. In vain.

"What are you standing around for? I don't pay you to stare at me, no matter how much you like my face." She flushed, noticing the jab Naru made at her obsession with his face, as he probably thought she was in love with Gene. He didn't realise that what fascinated her so was the small changes his face had undergone, not the fact that it was identical to his dead brother's face.

"As if I care about your face! It's just another pretty face that's hiding your true nature!"

Though Mai was in actuality speaking about the way Naru shamelessly used his face to get what he wanted in previous cases, or how he deceived people into believing he was nothing more than a narcissistic jerk, even when he had a kind heart for those he cared about, Naru didn't need to know that.

If he misunderstood and thought she was speaking about his horrible personality, who was she to correct him.

Naru smirked at her as she turned her nose in the air, though she didn't hold the stance for long, as he went on.

"Mai, find out with Lin which cameras need to change position and place them in the appropriate places. Try not to cause trouble."

"Why you-" Mai fumed as she grabbed the walkie-talkie Lin held out and stormed out of the base. Her blood was boiling and though she knew she was actually quite happy with Naru being back, that man could rile her up like no other. She did not cause trouble!

It just seemed that trouble usually came to her…

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the reappearance of Gene! I am going to warn you now, don't expect him to play a massive role or something. I love Gene, I really do, but in this fic his purpose is really just to find peace, not to bring Mai and Naru together or solve the case for Mai. It may seem meaningless to bring him in, but yeah, I decided to go with it.
> 
> Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, about the new information, theories, interaction on anything in between:D


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaaaaaaaaay, a new record! I actually posted on Friday whoop-whoop! Although, don't get used to it, fate is holding true to my bad luck. Since I got my internet back, it decided to throw another stumbling block in my way, namely, the crashing of my laptop! Luckily, I had this story on my hard drive as a back-up, but it is an older version. Luckily (once again) for your guys, the new version is only different in the last chapter, so I still have time to wrestle my laptop on and quickly try and save it. Lastly, give a big thanks to Rinhunter, my cuz, for allowing me to use her laptop to post this chapter.
> 
> Now, thank you guys soooo much for the kudos, it shows me you enjoy this!
> 
> And so, enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

Mai was still muttering a steady stream of insults under her breath as she carted cameras around and listened to Lin-san's directions. She didn't understand why Naru always picked on her… She passed the room where she could hear Bou-san chanting, but instead of peeking in and possibly breaking his concentration, she continued on.

She passed Ayako a few times as the priestess changed the tapes of other cameras and they shared a tortured glance before Mai had to move on. When she finally finished with the last camera, she wiped the sweat off her brow and looked around.

The area she was at the moment was only a few hallways away from the demolished part of the house and she was suddenly very curious how it looked from the inside. Yaomoto-san had not shown them that part from inside the house, as he said it was dangerous and it could be structurally unsound.

Walking slowly, she finally saw one hallway that, instead of continuing, was ripped away and the opening was covered with a taped shut tarp, to keep the elements from invading. She paused, not certain she should go closer, since, contrary to Naru's belief, she did know when not to cause trouble and what was dangerous.

Having satisfied her curiosity, she was just about to turn around and leave, when her walkie-talkie flared to life.

"-ai. Mai! Are… -ther… -don't go… -un! Mai! Tempera- … dro… -ere! Gho-…"

"Naru? I can't hear what you're saying! Naru? The signal is bad here. What was that?" Mai stared at her walkie-talkie, which was buzzing with static, before it suddenly died into silence.

"Eeeeeeh!? These batteries are new, they shouldn't be done already!" She tapped the device against her hand, shaking it to try and get it back to life. Flicking the switch or pressing the buttons didn't help, the stupid thing remained silent.

It was only then that she realised she was shivering in her blouse and shorts and she could see her breath in the air. She glanced around carefully, taking deep breaths to centre herself. The entire hallway was covered in a strange mist-like substance and the temperature was getting lower by the minute.

Turning her back against the wall, she placed her hands in the correct position and started chanting Bou-san's mantra. Though she was stronger than she used to be, she wasn't at the level Bou-san was with the chant. She specialised more in the area of Jourei, like Masako.

"-Bazara-Dan-Kan. Rin! Pyou! Tou! Shah! Kai! Chin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!" At her last slash, the mist that had been reaching for her flinched back and she breathed heavily. She needed to get away from here. Whoever this spirit was, they were strong. Strong enough to shake off the Nine Cuts and the Buddhist Chants.

Realising that she was out of her depth with an enemy she couldn't see or speak to, Mai edged along the wall, trying to get away without panicking. At the moment, the mist, and thus the spirit, seemed sluggish, as if they weren't entirely aware yet. If she could take advantage of this…

"Mai!" The brunette's head snapped towards where she heard Naru calling out and saw him rounding the corner with Lin behind him.

"Naru!" She reached out in relief and barely noticed the man's mussed hair or panicked eyes. However, her attention was soon caught by a tendril of the mist snaking around her ankle.

_Why is it always my ankle…?_

" _Naru!"_  Mai screamed as she was yanked off her feet, sliding along the floor. She was being pulled towards the opening in the hallway, where the demolished part of the house was and her eyes widened in fear. If she was pulled beyond that tarp, she could die! The house hadn't been entirely cleared away yet, there would be beams and broken wood. She could be impaled…!

" _Naru, help!"_

The last thing she heard before the mist yanked her beyond the tarp, was the beautiful whistle Lin gave to mobilize his shiki.

GH

' **You need to leave… Go away… Leave…** _ **Leave**_ **… LEAVE!'**

Mai was first aware of a comforting scent that surrounded her and that she was enveloped in warmth. She snuggled deeper and a delighted chuckle met her ears. She groaned as she recognized Yasuhara's voice and turned over, determined to ignore the irritating best friend.

"Oho! Little Mai knows that she's protected by the Big Boss and is cuddling contently with his jacket. Oh Mai, I thought we agreed that we were meant for each other! Yet you throw me away for a jacket?! Oh, the Woe!"

Her eyes snapped open, seeing that she was indeed clutching a very familiar black jacket. She shot up and toppled off the bed with a yelp, her arms wind-milling to try and right her balance in vain.

"Ooof." Standing up, she rubbed her back where she fell on the floor and glanced at the discarded jacket. Yasuhara was laughing at her, but to her relief, it seemed that they were in the women's bedroom, so no one else was present.

"Shut up…" She grumbled to a still chuckling Yasu.

"Ah Mai, you know I love to hear about your relationship with the Evil Boss. Do tell."

"There's nothing to tell Yasu! Why are you here anyways? And why was I covered with Naru's jacket if I'm in my bed?" Yasuhara sobered up at Mai's question and pushed his glasses up as he answered.

"Well, you see, after that entire fiasco with you being pulled away by the spirit, you wouldn't wake up no matter what we did. Since it seemed like you would ignore all our efforts and sleep on, Naru, to whom you had been handed when Lin fished you out from the ruins of the house, carried you to your bed. However, when he put you down, you refused to let go of his jacket and he was forced to take it off so that he could leave. I never knew you had such a strong grip Mai!"

Groaning, the blushing girl hid her face in her hands. She couldn't believe she wouldn't let go of Naru. What did her think of her now?

_Gosh, way to go Mai!_

Her internal ranting stopped as she thought of something else. Holding out her arms, she checked them over, before she moved her limbs and ran her hands over the rest of her body.

"Ooh! Are you finally ready to declare your love for me? Are you going to give me my personal strip show?" Becoming once more as red as a tomato, she flung her pillow at Yasuhara, spluttering denials all the way.

"Wha-… No, I was only… my body… Gah! What I'm trying to ask, is why do I only have minor scratches? I fell into the rubble of the old house. Why am I not injured worse? Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful that I don't have worse injuries that a few bruises and scratches, but it doesn't make sense."

"Ah, you have Lin-san to thank for that. Right before you fell, he commanded his shiki to protect you. They cleared away most of the more lethal rubble before you landed, since the mist didn't really react to them."

Mai felt a smile start on her face. It was good to know she had people who cared for her and would protect her, even if she could usually protect herself. Although, so far she felt as if she was spending the majority of the case sleeping and it irritated her.

"Come on, Big Boss said to meet in the base after I woke you up." Mai nodded in acceptance and followed after the bespectacled boy. When they entered the base, they walked in on a sombre air, though it quickly lightened when the team saw Mai.

"Jou-chan!"

Mai gasped as Bou-san squeezed the life out of her and it was only when Ayako gave him a whack on the head that he released her, yelling at Ayako for hitting him. Ayako ignored him in favour of fussing over Mai, who rolled her eyes and smiled at John. Seeing the worry is Masako's eyes, she smiled at her as well, ensuring her she was fine.

Madoka was bouncing in front of Mai-chan, exclaiming about how good it was that she was back on her feet and uninjured. Mai glanced Naru's way and saw him reading through a report, probably one Madoka and Yasuhara brought back yesterday.

She could also see that apparently one of the cameras had been placed to face the hallway where she was attacked, as she could see the demolished area on one screen. She knew it had been odd for her to be attacked there, as most of the activity took place farther away. However, at the moment she was more curious about if the exorcism did anything.

"Ne, what happened with your exorcism Bou-san?" The monk looked down-hearted at the question, so Mai took it to mean that it didn't work.

"Completely useless. It seemed to take away some of the spirit's strength, but she's pretty strong. I couldn't exorcise her completely. Also, you were attacked during my exorcism, so it seems the ghost is strong enough to be on the defensive and offensive at the same time, and in different parts of the house as well. We tried John after that, but it was also ineffective, though the house did shake a bit during it. I'm surprised you slept through it. Did you have another dream?"

Mai shook her head in denial, wondering if this spirit was so strong because she used to be spiritually powerful in life, or just because she's had a lot of time to amass power. She must have said her thoughts out loud, because Masako answered her.

"It's very possible that she had psychic powers in life. She wears the garb of a miko, so there is a chance that she was an actual miko and not just a fraud." Mai nodded and glanced at Naru again. Making her way over to him, she handed him his jacket back.

"Sorry about that. Thank you for lending me your jacket." Naru smirked at her and Mai pushed down the part embarrassed, part angry blush that threatened her cheeks.

"Didn't I tell you not to make trouble for me?"

"Why you narcissistic, big-headed, tea-addicted jerk! I didn't make trouble on purpose! It's not my fault the ghost targeted me!"

"And why were you at that part of the house to begin with? You've been warned that it's dangerous there as the structure is weak." Mai flushed as she realised he got her there, since it was her curiosity that led her there in the first place. She decided to try and deflect the attention away from her blunder.

"So, did Madoka-san and Yasuhara find out anything relevant?" Naru gave her a look that showed he wasn't fooled, but allowed the change in topic and nodded as he walked over to the couch, sitting down and waiting for the rest of the team to sit down as well.

Mai gingerly sat down next to Naru and though he glanced at her, he didn't do much else. As soon as everyone was settled, Madoka jumped in and started explaining their findings.

"Well, I decided to search for any death on the property, going as far back as I reliably could. There have been more or less a total of 44 deaths on or near the property, though about 28 of them was due to the volcanic eruptions of Mt. Fuji, while another 6 due to the owners of the house dying of old age. There have been records of at least two children dying of illness in the Meiji era and in recent years 3 recorded drowning's in Lake Yamanakako.

"The other deaths are less certain, since we couldn't get reliable records as it happened in the Kamekura era and most records went missing during the Sengoku era. However, we talked to some locals and some of them still have old legends about the shrine that was built here before the house."

"What is the legend?" Mai queried, insanely curious as Madoka paused to rifle through her papers.

"Well, they said that back at the start of the Kamekura era, there was a beautiful miko with long jet black hair, flesh as pale as snow, cheeks the colour of sakura blossoms and lips that had been kissed by roses, who looked after the shrine here. She was very kind, yet also quite isolated from the village. They say that people from all around would visit the shrine to catch a glimpse of her beauty, yet they rarely did, as she was kept apart from most others.

"There were rumours of her being a goddess in disguise, as well as that she was being kept captive by the  _kannushi_ , the maintainer, of the shrine. Other rumours stated that her powers were too strong and she had to meditate most of the day to keep them in control, while yet another said that she was deathly ill.

"Despite rumours that said you would be cursed if you looked too long upon her or that to be involved with her guaranteed certain death, the villagers themselves were quite fond of this miko.

"Then one day, great tragedy struck the miko. The sky turned dark and the earth rumbled that day in sadness, for the miko had been killed by three who were supposed to be her protectors. Here the legend gets quite fragmented. Some versions say that they killed her because she rejected their advances; others say they killed her because she was starting to go insane and wanted to kill all those around her.

"Yet another version says they tried to use her in a ritual, which caused her to go mad and kill all four of them, herself included. Whatever the case may be, they died without anyone knowing how and the shrine's kannushi was the only one who survived. He apparently died of old age, though not before he left some last words on his death bed, saying  _'The shrine must be protected'._ "

Mai could feel a wrenching sadness in her heart as she thought of the story. She somehow knew that, despite whichever version might be true, it was the miko in the story that haunted this house. She looked at Naru and could see that he was also deep in thought. After a moment, he glanced at Yasuhara, who cleared his throat and started.

"Well, I tried to trace the ownership of the house, and there's not much too say. Yaomoto-san wasn't kidding when he said this house has been in their family for generations. It a bit difficult to retrace the house itself, since it was rebuilt and remodelled many times due to the nearby eruptions, the most recent rebuilding being in December 1708 after Mt. Fuji's last eruption.

"The entire house had to be rebuilt, which is when they modelled it after the Heian era's houses. Although, at that time, it wasn't necessary to dig deeper than the original foundation of the house, so the current house is built atop the remains of the old house and probably the shrine as well. I did have better luck when I traced the property though.

"The property has been in the Yaomoto family since Azuchi-Momoyama era, more specifically, since 1568. There are hints that indicate it has been part of their family since the Nanboku-chō era, but that isn't reliable. Also, thought this is just hearsay and ancient notes, apparently the kannushi of the shrine's surname was Yamamoto, meaning, 'under the mountain'. Very close to Yaomoto, correct? Now, the rest is just my theory, since I can't prove it, but I think the Yamamoto family took care of the shrine, and after it was demolished, either during the strife of the Sengoku era of because of natural disasters, they continued taking care of the grounds.

"If you regard that legend as the basis for actual historical events, then everything would make sense. The kannushi that survived would be Yamamoto-san and probably the old man in Mai's dream. The girl she saw would be the younger version of the miko in the legend, which would make her Yamamoto Kaede. They would have lived in the beginning of the Kamekura era, since Yamamoto-san in Mai's dream spoke about the rise of samurais and Buddhists. He was probably still in the mind-set of the Heian era."

Yasuhara placed his notes on his lap and regarded their boss, who was tapping one finger on his knee as he thought.

"Let's not make assumptions just yet. If we don't find anything else, we will operate on the basis that the miko is the one of the legend, however, I want you to dig some more. I want no further surprises in this case."

Mai sighed at Naru's predictable response, though she agreed with him that it was a bit vague to base their exorcisms on. She stood to make some tea, as she knew that Naru would be demanding some any minute now. When she finally turned around, it was the see the room bare of anyone except her, Naru and Lin.

Placing his tea in front of him, she retreated back to the pin board, where she examined everything they discovered so far. Pinning up the legend of the shrine, along with their suspicions, she read over the case again, trying to think if she missed anything.

A moment later she slapped herself on the forehead for her forgetfulness. She hadn't told Naru that Gene didn't move on! And she hasn't even thanked Lin-san for saving her life yesterday! Turning around, she marched over to Lin and when he glanced at her, one eyebrow raised, she bow low.

"Thank you very much for saving me yesterday!" Straightening, she caught the smile on his face as he warmly, for Lin, replied.

"It was no problem Taniyama-san. Be sure to be careful next time." Smiling awkwardly at his subtle reprimand, Mai nodded and turned to Naru.

"Naru, I forgot to tell you something about my dream." Those cobalt eyes pinned her and she could see mild irritation in them, though mostly it was filled with curiosity. Mai fidgeted in place a bit, unsure if Lin knew that Gene used to be her spirit guide or even if Naru wanted him to know. Seeing her agitation, Naru shrugged on his jacket and walked to the door.

"Mai, walk with me." Smiling, she bounded after the darkly dressed man, falling into place at his side. As they walked through the hallway, they both stayed silent as they worked through their thoughts and when they finally reached outside, Naru led them in the direction of the lake, which stood almost a kilometre from the house.

The scene around them was peaceful and quiet, with birds chirping softly and the wind brushing through the grass. Mai smiled, her body relaxing and she felt quite happy. It wasn't often that she could walk comfortably like this with Naru, in fact, she didn't think it had ever really happened before. She found she quite liked it. Of course, when Naru's voice broke the quiet, she was reminded of why they had come out here in the first place.

"What did you want to tell me?" Mai bit her bottom lip and then took deep breath, not sure how Naru would take this news. She knew he had been worried about his brother not moving on before, despite his brusque response and this was now even worse, seeing as Gene was staying in this plane quite long. Sighing, she spoke.

"Gene hasn't moved on."

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there was some action and information! Now that the team has all they need and the ghost begins to show some activity, things will really start heating up! Also, look forward to a conversation between Naru and Mai next chapter;)
> 
> Otherwise, all I'm going to say is guys, please comment! I get all these amazing people who give kudos, but I never hear from you and so I'm uncertain what you like about it and what you don't like and what confuses you. I understand that the previous chapters didn't really have much to say about, but I'm on my knees here!
> 
> Ok, desperate and pathetic author display over, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooohooo, Chapter 5 for your convenience! We get the usual incredibly smart but clueless Naru, along with some scary ghost contact and action! I'm ecstatic at the amount of kudos that this story gets, now just to get the comments on the same level;) 
> 
> And so, enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

Naru's glare pinned Mai as his head snapped around. Mai gulped, but nonetheless squared her shoulders. She hadn't done anything wrong and didn't have to feel as if she did.

"What do you mean he hasn't moved on? How long have you known?" Naru's voice was sharp and to the point, making Mai feel as if she was in high school receiving a scolding from a teacher.

"I mean that he appeared in my dream the other day. He said he didn't know why he hasn't moved on and don't take that tone with me Naru! I haven't seen him since you left for England! I was just as surprised as you were when I saw him in my dream."

Naru sighed, his one hand holding his elbow while his other lifted to pinch the bridge of his nose. He sighed again, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I know you aren't to blame for his foolishness. He really is a colossal idiot. The longer he stays here, the more risk he runs of changing."

Mai smiled, as she knew that was the closest Naru would come to apologising. She knew well that her boss only apologised when the matter was serious, such as when they had taken the case at Yasuhara's school.

"Yeah, but what can we do if we don't know why he hasn't moved on? What sort of unfinished business could he have?" Naru looked out over the lake, thinking about Mai's statement. It was true he had no idea what his brother could still be hanging around for. It wasn't as if he left behind a lover or something…

_Wait…_

Naru turned back to his small assistant, contemplating the thought he just had. If he remembered correctly, and he usually does, Mai had mentioned that she had been talking to Gene two years ago, right before she had given him her mistaken confession.

A pang of loneliness shot through his chest as he thought of the confession, knowing Mai loved his brother, like girls usually did. He never really minded that girls loved Gene instead of him; in fact, it was a relief to be left alone with his research. However, Naru was not as naïve about his feelings as he once was and he could admit to himself that he might have felt something for his assistant at one time.

It was the part of the reason he came back, to see if his feelings of affection were still present or if it had faded away. If it faded away after two years, then he would not let it bother him and continue on with his life.

So far, though, it looked as if he might still hold some affection for his loud assistant, even though he would not admit it to her. She was, after all, in love with his dead brother. If his feelings developed into something more substantial, he might be spurred into doing something.

"Mai. It is possible that Gene has not moved on because of you." Big, doe-like eyes looked at him in surprise, though confusion soon overtook them.

"What? Why would I be stopping him from moving on?" Naru gave her a slight stare, as if asking why she hadn't yet figured it out. Sighing at her pout, he endeavoured to explain it to her.

"You have confessed that you liked me, however, we have established that your feelings were meant for Gene, that you unknowingly projected onto me because of your ignorance in this matter. It is possible that Gene has developed some feelings for you as well, or that your feelings for him are so strong that it is keeping him in the real world."

Naru watched with some confusion as Mai's face reddened, and not in embarrassment. She was angry, and he had no idea what he had said to incur her wrath. Maybe she didn't like to be reminded of her hopeless situation?

"I'll have you know that I have only ever felt brotherly love for Gene! Yes, he's kind and affectionate, he protects me and his smile is so gentle it feels as if I could tell him anything. Yes he has looked after me and he certainly has a better personality than you do! But that doesn't mean I'm in love with him. I've long since sorted out my feelings concerning Gene and it isn't romantic love!"

Naru's eyes narrowed in confusion as he turned Mai's words over. Does that mean she'd gotten over her feelings for Gene? It would make sense for her to move on, after all, she couldn't be with him in life. But then what was keeping Gene here?

The dark-haired man firmly ignored the small bit of hope that blossomed in his chest. It was obvious what type of men Mai liked and he was the complete opposite of what she wanted, at least in personality.

However, before he could comment on her outburst, a high-pitched scream broke through his concentration and both Naru and Mai whipped around towards the house. Mai would recognise Ayako's scream anywhere and without thinking, she started running back towards the old house.

She could see Naru running next to her out of the corner of her eye, but paid him no mind, as she was still quite irritated by what he had said. Pounding into the house, Mai followed her instinct and ran to the room where the ghost had showed the most activity.

When she rounded the corner, she could see Bou-san and John standing before the door, both chanting and sweating heavily. As Ayako screamed again, Mai realised it came from within the room and she was about to scream at Bou-san to get to Ayako, when she saw the barrier.

A translucent red film seemed to cover the doorway and she could see John's holy water sizzling when it came into contact with the barrier, as well as Bou-san creating a clear hole when he stuck his  _tokkosho_  in it. However, though they were breaking the barrier apart, it still wasn't fast enough.

Mai ran forward and, without thinking about it, placed her hands against the barrier. Her flesh sizzled where she touched the red film, but she somehow knew if she took her hands off the barrier, she would never get through. Ignoring Naru's shout and Bou-san and John's warning, she pushed and felt the barrier give beneath her hands. It was like walking through a heat wave, though thicker in substance, almost like water.

Her mind seemed to be hazy, as if she was watching an old film and she didn't feel entirely in control of her body. Without her realising it, her lips were forming words and she chanted as she stepped through the barrier.

When she was in the room, the panicked shouting of the team outside faded and she was only left with an overwhelming sense of anger and hate directed at her. The room's oppressive atmosphere pushed down on her, trying to dominate her. Yet all she did was stand over a whimpering and bleeding Ayako and raised her hand to form the seal of the thunderbolt.

" _On baishiramantaya sowaka."_

Her hands changed to form the seal of the great thunderbolt as she said the next mantra.

" _On ishanaya intaraya sowaka."_

The seal of the outer lion was next.

" _On jiterashi itara jibaratanō sowaka."_

Seal of the inner lion:  _"On hayabaishiramantaya sowaka."_

Seal of the outer bonds:  _"On nōmaku sanmanda basaradan kan."_

Seal of the inner bonds:  _"On aganaya in maya sowaka."_

Seal of the wisdom fist:  _"On irotahi chanoga jiba tai sowaka."_

Seal of the ring of the sun:  _"On chirichi iba rotaya sowaka."_

Seal of the hidden form:  _"On a ra ba sha nō sowaka."_

The malicious atmosphere of the room had started to lighten, but Mai could feel the presence resisting, putting up a stronger fight that she had imagined possible. Time to do the last step. Starting the nine cuts, Mai flashed through all the seals in order, each representing one of the Nine Cuts.

" _Rin! Pyōh! Tōh! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai! Zen!"_  Lastly, she threw her hands outwards and shouted determinedly.

" _Kō!"_

The oppressing atmosphere faded away, leaving a normal looking room that was quiet. Ayako it seemed had passed out and Mai felt strangely tired, so she crumpled down on her knees. There seemed to be a commotion going on behind her and arms were suddenly around her. Looking up into concerned blue eyes, Mai smiled tiredly at Naru, before she passed out into blissful darkness.

GH

**Mai sighed as she once again woke up to see darkness around her. Small floating white lights surrounded her and she stood, looking around for Gene. A voice chuckling behind her caught her attention and she swirled around, smiling at the kind eyes that met hers.**

" **Honestly Mai. I don't know how you do it. You seem to find trouble everywhere." Huffing, she complained while crossing her arms.**

" **You sound like Naru. I do not find trouble everywhere!" However, she couldn't keep her scowl for long and she soon smiled again. Her smile slipped a bit when she remembered what had just happened when she was awake and worry for the redheaded miko filled her.**

" **Wait. Ayako! Is she alright? What happened? And what was that mantra I said?" Gene sighed, before he smiled at Mai reassuringly.**

" **Mai, calm down. Ayako is fine. Yes, she's hurt, but it won't leave any lasting damage. As for the mantra, that wasn't you. Sure, it wasn't a full possession, but it was the miko that possessed you and used her own mantra."**

**Mai frowned, confused by Gene's statement. "But wait, if she had possessed me, what was the oppressive atmosphere? Are there two ghosts haunting this place?"**

**Gene looked just as worried as Mai was and she stayed quiet as he stared into the darkness, seemingly looking at something she couldn't see. After a moment, he sighed and looked back at her. His eyes were uncharacteristically serious and in that moment he looked so much like Naru that her heart pounded.**

" **I'm not sure. The malicious presence feels a lot like the miko's presence, almost as if they were one and the same. But then, it wouldn't make sense for the miko to possess you outside the room if the presence was inside it. I have to admit, I'm a bit stumped as to what's going on here."**

**Mai didn't know what to feel in regards to Gene's confusion. If he didn't know what was going on here, why would she?**

" **Is it possible that the other presence is a familial relation to the miko and that's why they feel similar?" Gene shook his head as he answered.**

" **No, even if spirits are related, that doesn't necessarily mean that they have the same presence. And that presence was exactly like the miko. Almost as if it was another part of her, but separate. The problem is that I can't get closer to her, she keeps pushing me away."**

" **She's here?" Mai asked in surprise, looking around as if the miko would pop out of the darkness. Gene nodded, pointing to his left and Mai's eyes followed his finger. In the distance, she could see who she presumed was the miko kneeling as if in prayer. Looking back at Gene, who shrugged, Mai made her way to the spirit, cautiously regarding her as she came closer.**

" **Um, hello? My name is Taniyama Mai and I wa-"**

' _ **You should leave…'**_ **Mai sweat-dropped at the words. It seemed all she ever heard from this spirit was that she should leave, or go away.**

" **Um, I know, but we just want to help…"**

' _ **No one can help… I am alone for all eternity… So you must go away.'**_

**Mai had finally walked around the kneeling miko to see her front and she immediately gasped. Yes, the miko was beautiful, but she was young. She looked as if she was no older than fifteen years old!**

**And despite her beauty and otherwise immaculate appearance, her hakui was stained with blood, the red standing out gruesomely against the white. The hakui was torn and through the gaps Mai could see a circle of strange characters covered the area directly above her heart. Squiggly lines filled the circle, but before Mai could see more, the miko made to stand.**

**As the miko stood, her hair shifted and Mai could see a red slash travelling down her back, tearing the hakui to show her mangled flesh.**

" **But… I want to help! It isn't right that you are alone in this! You should move on and be at peace." The girl looked at Mai with eyes that were far older than her appearance and Mai felt as if she was being judged. Mai's eyes widened in shock as the miko spoke again.**

' _ **I can never be at peace…'**_

**However, it wasn't the girl's words that shocked Mai, but rather that her mouth hadn't moved when she spoke. It was like… like she was speaking to Mai telepathically! It caused Mai to wonder why the miko wouldn't speak to her normally and evidently the question was all over her face, as the miko answered her unspoken query.**

' _ **I cannot speak… My voice was taken from me and so I can only communicate in other ways…'**_ **The miko's lips moved, as if she was going to speak, but no sound emerged, not even the exhale of her breath. As Mai was about to answer, the miko doubled up, her face screwing up in pain.**

**Stepping forward in concern, Mai reached out only to have the miko push her away as she continued with her fit, which looked vaguely similar to a really bad coughing fit. Blood dripped from between the miko's lips and Mai blanched, her hands fluttering above the girl, uncertain as to what she should do.**

**After a moment, the force of the fit seemed to die down and the girl was left trembling as her hand wiped the blood away.**

" **Are you alright? Can I do anything?" Mai was pinned by dark grey eyes, as the miko smiled at her a bit sadly.**

' _ **No one can help me… you must leave.'**_ **Mai sighed in exasperation, but just as she was about to retort, a delicate hand reached out and pushed against her chest. Caught off guard at the action only Gene had done before to wake her up, Mai floundered as she fell backwards and her last glance of the miko before she returned to the world of the living, was that of her kneeling again in prayer.**

GH

Mai's eyes snapped open as she sat up with a gasp, her gaze flitting about the room. She was in the base and she groaned as she mourned her tendency to fall unconscious. She knew she gathered valuable information in her dreams, but couldn't someone else be the excessive sleeper for once!

Looking around, she saw that only Lin was in the room and she stood up, walking towards him. He nodded to her when he saw she was awake, and informed her that Madoka and Yasuhara had taken Ayako to the hospital upon her questioning. The priestess would be fine after a day of rest, as she had just received a few cuts on her neck, same as Aiko-chan. However, it luckily wasn't deep enough to scar, so she would fully recover in a few days.

Mai sighed in relief, happy that Ayako wouldn't carry a reminder of this case around permanently. Scanning the screens, she searched for Naru's familiar figure till she found him on his way to the base. Walking over to the kitchenette, she started boiling the water for some tea and finished it just as Naru entered the room.

"Mai, tea." Mai placed the teacup before Naru almost as soon as he finished his demand and relished his slightly surprised face. It disappeared after a moment however and he sipped his tea. Mai was happy to note a slight relaxation of his shoulders and dragged a chair closer, intending to tell Naru her dream.

Naru listened in silence as Mai related her meeting with their spirit to him and his thoughts whirred with the new information. It seemed all the more likely that the legend was true and the miko of the legend their spirit. However, he was concerned about this other presence. Gene said that it felt just like the miko, only more violent, yet it was also separate. Hara-san had told him earlier that she could find only one presence, a female that was filled in sorrow.

She couldn't feel the presence of a second ghost, even when the entire episode with Ayako was going on. She had felt it when the spirit had possessed Mai, but she could also feel the presence of the spirit in the room as Ayako was attacked and when the miko's ghost had performed her mantra, her presence had only gotten stronger instead of lighter.

Naru didn't want to admit it, but he was just as stumped as his brother. The closest he had ever come to a case like this was when he had investigated an insane asylum in England which had a ghost of a patient diagnosed with DID haunting it…

_Wait a minute…_

Standing, he ignored Mai's startled jerk and moved to the walkie-talkie. Pressing the button down, he contacted Takigawa-san and Father Brown.

"Come back to base. I have a theory." Placing the device back on the table, he turned to Lin.

"Get Madoka on a video feed, I want her input on this."

Satisfied that Lin would do as he said, he returned to his seat, stapling his hands together as he thought. There were a few differences to the case, but he had already thought of an explanation for those.

He would wait and see what the others thought of his theory, because as much as he hated to admit it, Mai's intuition was usually spot on and his fellow investigators could have a rational head on their shoulders when they tried. He didn't usually consult with the other members of his team until he had a solid theory, but seeing as they could get no reliable information on their ghost, he would have to base his theory on deductions and guesses. He straightened as Takigawa-san and Father Brown entered the room.

Time to see if his team could understand his theory.

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeelll? What did you think? I added a bit of Naru's thoughts in this chapter and there will be other instances in the story where you guys hear his thoughts, though it's mainly Mai-centric. Now the mystery is really ramping up and I would love to hear what you guys think is happening here. Most of the information has been supplied or clues given, so I'm interested to see how many of you get close to solving the case.
> 
> Next chapter will come next week and I am super excited to hear from you:D


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I hope you guys are all excited for this chapter, which clears some things up I hope! Thank you so much for the kudos and a cyber Naru plushie to blondiee1396 for being the first person to comment! I was so happy, I was squealing and running to my cousin to show her hahaha.
> 
> Oh, I also just realised something when I went back to check the previous chapters. I realised that my little stars, which I placed as linebreakers, didn't show up on AO3 and so you guys were subjected to text randomly starting in bold the next paragraph. I sincerely apologise, I'm going to switch them with 'GH' instead.
> 
> On another note, who watches Naruto Shippuuden (anime)? I just finished watching the latest episode (No worries, I won't spoil anything!) and I was MIND. BLOWN. Most of the plot was spoiled to me, so I knew in vague terms but was going to happen, but wow, I had chills watching it!
> 
> Anyway, enough rambling from me, Enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 6**

"Wait, where's Masako-chan? Did she go with Madoka-san and Yasu to accompany Ayako to the hospital?" Though Mai was certain the medium wouldn't go out of her way for Ayako, she couldn't think of where else she would be. Her friend was usually the one that stayed closest to the base, unless Naru asked her to do a walk through.

"Hara-san regrettably had to leave, as an emergency request came in for her. She is, after all, an independent advisor, and couldn't stay for the rest of the case."

Mai frowned at Naru's cold tone, but she could understand Naru's frustration. Masako didn't mean to basically abandon them, but that is what in effect happened.

Although, they couldn't really expect of her to put aside her own job, since appearing on TV and helping people insured that she continued to receive requests, as it assured customers of her reliability.

As they waited for Lin to set up the video-feed, Mai quickly summed her dream up for Bou-san and John, including the fact that she had been possessed at the time she entered the room. She was still a bit apprehensive about the thought that she had become possessed without noticing, making her realise how open her defences really were.

Seeing that everyone was looking towards Naru and that even Madoka's face was on Lin's computer screen, Mai placed her current thoughts aside and focused on her boss.

"Mai told you the details of her possession and dream? Good. Then let's start. When reviewing the facts of the case, I recalled a similar case in the past, which Lin and Madoka should be familiar with. In that particular case, the ghost used to be a male who suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder, causing him to appear like he was two completely different ghosts. In that case, the ghost would switch emotions quite fast and the acts he did would differ completely depending on which personality he was at the moment."

"But Naru-bou, this spirit isn't just completely different, they appear at the same time. If what Mai said is true, then she was apparently possessed at the same time as when the second presence attacked Ayako."

Naru nodded, a bit irritated that he was interrupted but he had to conceding that the monk had a point. However, he wouldn't have made his theory known if he hadn't already thought of that.

"That's true, but Hara-san confided to me that even while that was happening, she still sensed only a single spirit. Despite the obvious difference in nature, Mai has also heard that the second presence feels the same as the first. This led me to believe that they are actually one and the same. If we base our actions on the assumption that the legend is true, then we can narrow down the possibilities."

The rest of the team looked doubtful, but they knew that Naru had to have some explanation and he had never before led them completely wrong.

"The legend states that the miko was rarely seen, correct? Now, the reasons they provide for that is that she is a) either a goddess, b) being held captive, c) had to meditate to control her powers or d) deathly ill. Now, we can discard a) since gods doesn't become spirits, and if we believe Mai's first dream, the kannushi of the shrine was her grandfather, thus b) is also discarded. I believe c) to be unlikely, since the spirit is powerful, but if she was so powerful she had to meditate constantly, she wouldn't have been seen at all. That makes d) the most likely reason, which also corresponds with what Mai saw when she contacted the spirit.

"Next, let's look at how she died. Once again, there were a few reasons given. The legend states that she was killed by three men because a) she rejected their advances, b) she started to go insane or c) she was used in a ritual and went insane and killed all of them. This is where it becomes a bit more complicated.

"I'm reasonably sure it isn't a) or b) because the legend states that the three men also died the same night she did. If they collaborated to kill her because of rejection, then it isn't very likely that she managed to kill them as they killed her, as she would have been overwhelmed, especially if she was deathly ill as we suspect. Secondly, if she started to go insane and wanted to kill everyone, then why was her grandfather not part of the plan?

"From what Mai said, Yamamoto-san seemed duty-driven and though he probably loved his granddaughter very much, I don't believe he would have allowed her to live if she was starting to harm others, especially as this was a common mind-set during the Heian era. This leads me to believe c) might be our closest guess, especially as Mai saw evidence of a spell circle on the miko's chest."

Naru saw the entire team nod as they contemplated his explanation. It was Takigawa-san who finally spoke up.

"Alright Naru-bou, I'll admit that your version of the events seem likely. But what does that have to do with your case in England?" Mai listened attentively as Naru spoke again.

"If we accept that this miko was deathly ill and died because of a ritual that turned her insane, then we have several options. The first could be that our spirit had Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is why she was being kept from the general public at times. In that era, people with such a mental illness wouldn't be correctly diagnosed, so she was probably kept away from the public when she had her dangerous episodes, which is the malicious presence we felt. The ritual used was probably to try and cure her of her illness, except it backfired and killed the three priests and split her into two separate entities.

"The other option is that she had a normal illness, probably something like tuberculosis if she was coughing blood as Mai said, that caused her to be confined inside for her health a lot of the time. The ritual could either have been an attempt to cure her, or it could have been a malicious attempt by the three priests to seize her powers, since we do know that she was quite strong. That would also explain her illness; her body couldn't handle her powers efficiently. However, something in the ritual went wrong, killing all four of them and causing her hate to become separate from the rest of her."

Madoka spoke up when Naru finally finished explaining his theory.

"That actually makes sense. We have no proof for it, but it's worth a try to base our exorcism on that. It would mean, however, that we have to exorcise the violent identity first, as I suspect that is what's keeping the other identity on this plane. We saw how the peaceful side of the miko was trying to fight her hatred, so we can assume that her two separate sides are in constant conflict with each other."

"It also explains the words. It could be that the peaceful side of the miko wants to protect others from her hate, while the malicious side wants people to remember what was done to her and that she is still trapped here in this house. Thus the words 'I am still here." John explained and Naru nodded as Lin continued typing away on his laptop, recording their conversation.

Mai bit her lip as she thought over Naru's argument. It made sense and there were parts that her intuition just tingled, but there was also something missing. The problem was, she wasn't sure which parts her intuition deemed correct and which parts not. Mai felt eyes on her and as she looked up, she saw that everyone was watching her. Naru's gaze was intense and Mai fidgeted under it.

"Mai. Are your animal instincts saying anything?" Despite her ire at once again being compared to an animal, Mai still answered, though she made it known with her unimpressed tone that she was not amused.

"Yes. It's not very specific, but I feel as if we're missing something. Something big. But at the same time, your story does sound right, so I don't know what it could be that we're missing. What do you think Yamamoto-san meant with his last words? He said 'the shrine must be protected' right?"

"It could just be general belief, that the shrine is sacred and thus must be protected, like all other shrines. Shrines were quite sacred and important in the Heian and Kamakura eras." Bou-san looked to John for support, who nodded in agreement.

"It could also be that he knew his granddaughter's spirit was still around and wished to either protect her out of guilt for her death, or confine her for fear that she'd get loose with the destruction of the building," Madoka chirped.

Mai bit her lip, still unsure, but she didn't comment further.

"Right, Takigawa-san, I want you and Father Brown to prepare for-"

"Wait, Naru. I want you to let me exorcise the violent identity. I've got a score to settle with her." Mai looked up in surprise and saw Ayako's face next to Madoka, determination etched on her features.

"Matsuzaki-san. Are you sure you can do it?"

"Oh, are you doubting me? I can easily get rid of a little spirit!" At everyone's looks of disbelief, the priestess huffed, before stating.

"I'll have you know there are some very old and healthy trees outside the house. I will use them to exorcise the spirit. The benefit of this is that in one exorcism, I'll probably get rid of both identities." Naru's eyebrow raised at her smug tone and he questioned the priestess further.

"Why haven't you told us this before?"

"Because I was unsure what was going on in this case. Remember, that exorcism can only take care of spirits. I didn't want it to be another ebisu case where I only anger the deity by taking away its servants. However, if this is just a spirit with a split personality, I should be able to take care of it no problem."

Naru nodded, and Ayako smiled in satisfaction. Madoka let them know that Ayako had to stay overnight, just to make sure there weren't any other difficulties and because the doctors apparently wanted to insure Ayako 'didn't cut herself further' (despite the miko's protests that she didn't do this), so they could do the exorcism tomorrow afternoon.

With that, Naru dismissed the others, stating that he wanted them to be alert for the exorcism tomorrow, so they're excused for the day.

Mai stood up and wandered outside, walking around the house, which she had to admit was impressive and she could just imagine some old era princess walking with her servants through the garden.

Walking back to the front, she sat on a small grassy mound as she looked out over the lake. She was completely immersed in her thoughts, so it came as some surprise when she felt someone settle down next to her.

Glancing to the side, she realised it was Naru, who was also staring out over the lake, so she let the silence stand. They both sat and watched as the sun moved across the sky, silent in their thoughts. The wind caressed Mai's cheek and blew her hair softly around her face. Tucking the strands behind her ear, she glanced at the silent man again.

"Naru, can I ask you something?" The man in question didn't reply, so she took it to mean she could continue.

"Why did you come back to Japan? Was it really because of the case and paranormal activity, or was there something else?" Naru was silent for so long that Mai thought he wasn't going to answer her, but just when she had given up hope, she heard him speak.

"Those are the primary reasons. However, I also came back to confirm something of my feelings."

"Your feelings?" Naru nodded and Mai couldn't help but be curious. There was times she couldn't even imagine Naru having feelings and other times she was reminded he wasn't a robot or bred in a lab. He virtually never talked about his feelings, so the fact that he was willingly opening up to her, caused her cheeks to heat slightly and her heart to warm.

"And did you confirm your feelings?" Again Naru nodded and Mai could swear his face became a bit gentler.

"What feelings did you want to confirm?" Instead of answering, Naru turned to Mai and cobalt orbs gazed deep into cinnamon orbs.

Mai felt as if her entire soul was being bared to Naru's gaze and she could feel her face heating up, but she couldn't look away.

Finally, a hint of a smile appeared on Naru's lips, the corners tilting up subtly, and he looked back towards the lake.

Mai could feel her heart racing as she looked down, shielding her blushing face with her hair. She wasn't sure what just happened, but she knows that it played havoc with her body.

With just a gesture or word, Naru could play her body like a harp, and she didn't know whether to hate it or love it.

Breathing deeply, she lifted her face and they continued to look out over the lake, the comfortable silence hanging around them.

GH

' **NO! Stop it! Quick, we don't have much time! The eclipse is nearly upon us…'**

' **Ojii! Wha-… I can't d- …I…-elp!'**

Mai turned and rolled, the sleeping girl plagued by voices of the past.

' **Hurry! I-… can't sto-…'**

The slumbering girl flinched as she felt pain slice through her and her back arched off the bed.

' **You need to concentrate! Without this ritual, you'll-… -need to-… now!'**

Moaning, Mai struggled in her sleep, plagued by nightmares and panicked voices. Yet she could not wake up.

' **You will** _ **die**_ **… I… -ever forget-….** _ **Vengeance**_ **on all your-…'**

Twisting around, Mai's body got tangled in the blankets and her breath came out in gasps.

'… **hayabaishiramantaya sowaka-… O-…aganaya in maya-…On chirichi iba-…nō sowaka!'**

Her knuckles were white where they gripped the blanket and she whimpered in fear, lights flashing behind her eyes as the chanting filled her mind.

' **I AM STILL HERE…'**

Sweat poured down Mai's body and her face screwed up in pain as she tried to get away from her dreams and the voices resounding in the darkness.

' **-aede…Kae-… kaede… KAEDE!'**

' _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!'**_

Mai shot up, screaming as tears poured down her face and her arms flailed, trying to escape from her attacker. Her breath hitched as she struggled to get in enough oxygen and her clothes was stuck to her body.

She felt arms around her and for an instant terror filled her. She didn't know who she was or where she was and someone was holding her and-

"Mai, calm down. Take a deep breath in… and out… in…and out…"

She followed the soothingly deep voice's direction, feeling her heart calm down as her consciousness became more alert. She was Taniyama Mai and on a case for SPR. Ayako was in the hospital, with Madoka staying in a hotel near her for the night and Masako had left for another job.

She had gone to sleep alone that night, but had a nightmare and apparently Naru heard and came to wake her up. As her mind ascertained that she was in no immediate danger, her body slumped in on itself and she could feel the tremors starting to wrack it.

Sobs broke free of her lips and she clutched onto Naru's blue-grey pyjamas as she cried, the terror and pain of the fractured dream overwhelming her. Naru just held her, not commenting on the soaked patch her tears left as he stroked her back softly.

When she had finally calmed down enough to sit back and take in a deep shuddering breath, he handed her a cup of tea that one of the guys must have made and brought while she was crying. Taking a sip, her mind seemed to calm down further as the warm liquid travelled down her throat, warming her entire body from the icy grip it was gripped in.

The scent of Naru and tea surrounded her and she was finally able to look at Naru, certain he wanted some answers.

"Are you alright now?" Mai nodded, oddly touched by the care her usually emotionless boss showed.

"Yes, I've calmed down some. I'm sorry for the trouble Naru." Naru shook his head, his eyes strangely gentle.

"Don't worry about it Mai. What did you dream about?"

"I'm not certain. It was very disjointed and I didn't really see anything… There were flashes of a miko and a stone table. I… think I also saw a pot of some kind, with strange symbols inscribed on it, but it was very fuzzy. I remember chanting in the background and the voices were panicked, they sounded scared. I'm sorry Naru, I can't remember what they said…"

Naru nodded as he sat and looked into the distance, his eyes glazed over in thought. As Mai shifted, sleep already returning, his gaze turned back to her.

"Go back to sleep Mai. We can talk more about this tomorrow."

Mai nodded, yawing as she laid down and pulled her blankets up, too tired to care about the cooling sweat on her body. Her eyes closed and she snuggled in, feeling Naru's presence by her side as he sat on her bed.

"Naru…Will you be staying in Japan…?"

Mai's mumbled words didn't even register on her mind and she didn't notice how Naru seemed to watch her with softer eyes than usual.

After a long moment, Naru's soft voice filtered through her ears, though she had long forgotten the question to his answer. "Yes, Mai… So far it looks like I will stay."

As she was about to fall asleep, she felt a warm hand gently brush her hair out of her face and she smiled sleepily, his words and actions causing an inexplicable happiness to rise up in her and she was secure in the knowledge that Naru would protect her.

Tomorrow they had to exorcise the miko and she didn't know what would happen after that, but for tonight, she could sleep knowing that Naru still cared about her and that he was near.

Slipping into sleep, she was oblivious to the tortured eyes that watched her, uncertain as to what he should do regarding his feelings for his oblivious assistant.

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo, thoughts? What do you guys think about Naru's theory and Mai's uneasy feeling? I'm quite interested in how many of you suspected something like this.
> 
> Oh, another thing, for anyone who doesn't understand why I sent Masako away, it's nothing against her (though I'm not a big fan of her, I don't hate her) it's really just that she would have been an extra with no use at this part of the story, since she already gave her insight to the spirit.
> 
> Some more development in Naru/Mai and I hope you enjoyed their angst-filled bonding hahaha.
> 
> I'm looking forward to more comments, especially on your thoughts as to the ending of the story;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, this chapter has so many important stuff happening! You guys are finally finally going to find out the entire story, no more mysteries. Thank you for the kudos!!
> 
> I'm not going to keep you any longer, so I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 7**

Everyone was sitting around the base, waiting for Ayako, Madoka and Yasuhara to arrive. It was around 12pm and they were due to arrive at around 12:30pm. Naru was reviewing case notes, looking for anything they might have missed, while Bou-san and John were speaking about Bou-san next performance.

Mai had leaned back on the couch, bored as there wasn't really something for her to do. The exorcism was scheduled to take place at 1pm, in order to give Ayako a bit of time to prepare. The Yaomoto's were warned not to come in today for whatever reason, as they weren't sure if the spirit would have a volatile reaction and would rather not risk their client's safety.

"Mai, tea." Sighing, she heaved her body up and ambled over to the kitchenette, her movements methodical as she prepared the tea. Making sure she boiled enough water for everyone, she let the tea steep as her thoughts turned inwards.

Since the dream last night, she had been filled with a vague sense of unease since her awakening. Through her shower and morning greetings, she had been absent-minded, even hugging Naru without really realising it till five minutes after the event. So far, no one had commented on her strange behaviour and she knew they were worried about her, but she couldn't help it.

She had a really bad feeling in her gut and words echoed around her head. For some reason, the words Yamamoto-san had said on his deathbed caused her to feel uneasy. There was a vague sense of nostalgia about them, but she wasn't sure which memory they triggered. Where had she heard something like that before…?

_-The shrine must be protected…-_

Serving everyone their tea, she sat back down and sipped her own, her eyes glazed over. She sat like that for a while, not realising she was sipping cooled tea and that everyone, even Lin and Naru, was sending her worried glances.

After watching his oblivious assistant look more foolish than she usually did, for longer than she usually does, Naru had enough.

"Mai, kindly wake up from your daydreaming. Matsuzaki-san will be here any minute now and I would prefer not to leave you behind on your own, but I will if you cannot pay attention enough to avoid being a hazard to the rest of this team."

Mai jerked, slowly turning her head towards Naru, her brows furrowed.

"I'm sorry Naru. I'll try to pay more attention but… I just feel so uneasy. I feel as if we're missing something… Something that will change everything…"

_-I Am Still Here…-_

Naru sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, but before he could reply, Ayako, Madoka and Yasuhara entered, talking merrily. Mai immediately stood and greeted them, enquiring after Ayako's health as she fussed over the miko.

Yet the priestess could see something was strange and shot her a worried glance.

"Mai, I'm fine, take my word as a doctor for it. Are you alright? You seem a bit… dazed. Naru didn't say something exceptionally mean again did he?"

"No! No, really, there's nothing wrong. I guess my dream last night just unnerved me."

"Dream? What dream, why didn't I hear about this?" The red-headed miko huffed, her eyes tracking over Mai's face in concern.

"I did not deem it necessary, as Mai cannot recall the dream and it was of no importance to your purification." Naru's cold voice seemed to distract the priestess from her inspection of Mai and as the fiery doctor turned to Naru, Mai took the chance to hug both Yasuhara and Madoka.

When she went to sit again, Yasu joined her on the couch, enquiring more deeply about her health.

"It's fine Yasu, I promise. I only had a nightmare last night, so I'm a bit out of it. However, I can barely remember anything about it, so don't worry."

"If you're sure…You know I worry about you Mai. You young ones always find a way to cause trouble for us elders!"

Mai laughed and smiled reassuringly at her best friend, who grinned back and started chattering about something or the other. Looking around, she realised Ayako wasn't in the room and reasoned she went to get dressed.

As Yasu's chatter floated around her, her mind seemed to fade in and out as she felt a sense of foreboding fill her. She didn't know what was going on.

_She should stop the exorcism. Yeah, that's right; it would do more harm than good to exorcise the sprit. After all, she wasn't hurting anyone._

But no, wait, she had to be exorcised! She didn't belong in the world of the living.

_But who cared about that? Maybe she should just go tell Ayako Naru said the exorcism wasn't necessary._

Ma was halfway across the room before Naru asked her where she was going. He had seen the young woman going into a daze and starting to mutter to herself, but when she had finally stood up abruptly and moved to the door, he decided to intervene.

"Mai, where are you going?"

"To Ayako."

"Why?"

"To tell her the exorcism isn't necessary of course."

Naru didn't show the worry that wanted to break out on his face. Mai definitely wasn't normal. Glancing at John, he saw the priest nod before he turned to Mai.

"Alright. But first, John wants you to take something to Ayako."

Mai turned, her eyes still glazed over and Naru watched as John took out his holy water. Placing a bit on his finger, he quickly drew a cross on Mai's forehead, before she could react further. However, before he could even start his chant, Mai blinked and her eyes cleared. She looked around her with a look of confusion, before her eyes met Naru.

"Naru? What's going on? Why am I standing? I could swear I was sitting on the couch, listening to Yasu babble."

"Mai! How could you! I do not babble, I impart my wisdom to my youngers! As an elder, it is my duty-"

"You were possessed Mai. It seems like this miko is determined not to get exorcised. What I don't understand is how? The charms Ayako wrote are supposed to stop spirits from entering the base…"

Mai blinked at Naru's mutter, before a wave of tiredness washed over her, causing her to stumble to the couch.

"Whoa Jou-chan, maybe you should sit down. You've been put through the ringer these last couple of days."

Mai nodded, her nausea rising with every passing second. It seemed her feeling of anxiety wasn't solely caused by the spirit, as she still felt it now.

"Alright, I'm ready. We'll have to go outside for this to work, but luckily one of the trees that could be used is right outside the 'scary' room. Not that it matters, but might as well do it as close as possible."

The team nodded as they stood and Naru placed the manila folder he was holding on the table.

"Mai, stay here. You'll only be in the way if you go in that condition. Madoka, please look after her. Everyone else go outside with Matsuzaki-san in case of an emergency."

Mai protested feebly, but Naru ignored her as he strode out the door and John smiled at her empathically. Bou-san ruffled her hair, insuring her she wouldn't miss anything important, while Yasuhara was almost bouncing in excitement as seeing Ayako's purification, as he hadn't seen one using trees before.

Pouting, Mai sat back and folded her arms. She couldn't help but feel she had to be there…

Madoka was prattling on about how it wasn't so bad and how they could talk about girl-stuff and Naru, but Mai wasn't listening. Her vision was starting to be overtaken by black and before she knew it, her spirit was forced out of her body onto the Astral Plane, where someone was waiting for her.

GH

' **You're making a mistake…'**

**The sweet voice echoed around Mai and she turned to see the miko standing before her. Then she realised what the girl had said and her eyes narrowed.**

" **A mistake? What mistake? Surely you can't wish to stay like this, with your identity split?"**

**Jet black hair floated softly in the air as the miko shook her head.**

' **You don't understand, you people have got it wrong. You are making a big mistake!' Mai huffed, folding her arms as she glared at the ghost.**

" **Then why don't you tell me the right story and maybe I can help you! Despite your telepathic abilities, I can't read minds you know."**

**The girl seemed to sigh, her face sad as she looked down. Finally, she lifted her head and nodded.**

' **Alright. I'm sure an exception can be made in this case. I will tell you my story, but then you** _ **must**_ **stop the purification!'**

" **Tell me first, then I'll see what I can do." The girl closed her eyes, her face resigned, before she looked at Mai again.**

' **Alright, but we haven't got much time. Time in the real world may be slower than here, but we still only have a limited amount. My name is Yamamoto Kaede and it all started with my family. The Yamamoto's have long since guarded the Shrine under the Mountain and the item held within. Stories have been passed from father to son, mother to daughter, or in my case, from grandfather to granddaughter about the duties of the Yamamoto mikos. A duty my mother gave her life for.**

' **You see, we hold an item in our shrine that contains an unimaginable power that cannot be controlled by men. Every one hundred years, on the sixth solar eclipse, a miko still in her teenhood must seal the item again, to ensure the power cannot get loose. This miko, without fail, will always be conceived in the first three years after the turn of the eighteen year cycle. However, in the process, the miko must give up her life. My mother, who had me at the age of fourteen, knew that by the time of the solar eclipse, she would be long past her teenhood and I would have to be the miko who gives up my life. Desperate to save me from this fate, she acted rashly and tried to seal it herself when I was three.**

' **As you can guess, she failed and died in the process. I was raised by my grandfather, Yamamoto Ryôichi. Yet I was a sickly child. I would get terrible fits and my coughing would rip my lungs apart, causing me to throw up blood. My grandfather tried everything, but I could not be healed. I had made peace with the idea that I would die before my sixteenth year, so the illness didn't worry me as it did my grandfather. My body was weak and days passed where I could not get out of my futon.**

' **Yet for all that my body was weak, my powers as a miko was strong. Stronger than my mother's, stronger than my grandmother's, stronger than any miko that came before me. My grandfather hoped that I would be able to permanently seal the item, so that it could never be opened again…'**

**Mai stayed silent, entirely immersed in the story the miko was telling. A single tear ran down Kaede's sakura kissed cheek as she continued.**

' **In my fifteenth year, the time had finally come for me to perform the sealing ritual. That day, the day when the sun went dark, everything was supposed to go smoothly. But we didn't know that we had a traitor in our midst. One of the** _ **geki**_ **, a boy I grew up with, had heard of this untameable power held within the shrine, and he wanted it for himself. Without our knowledge, he sneaked into the shrine's** _ **honden**_ **, the inner sanctuary and released the seal…'**

**Mai held her breath, somehow knowing that what came next would be horrifying and the true reason this miko still haunted the plain of the living.**

' **Chaos burst forth. The wrath of the gods was called down and the earth shook in fury. The errant geki was struck down where he stood, his soul devoured by the power contained in the pot. I rushed out with two of our lower kannushi helpers, my grandfather already there before us. I have never been so terrified in my life when the sun went dark and I realised I would have to seal this tremendous power back into the pot, not just reinforce the existent seal.**

' **However, I had been trained for that day my entire life and I couldn't afford to falter in the face of evil. With the help of the two kannushi, we carved out the spell circle in my flesh above my heart, pulling on my own life force and power in order to seal it back in the pot. It was a long, painful battle and the two kannushi died in the battle. I, myself, had received the injury on my back. However, it could not withstand the power of the spell on my breast and so I forced it back into the pot. My life and voice was lost in return for the favour we asked of kami…**

' **Now I, who am stronger than all other mikos before me and am blessed by kami, is tasked with the duty of looking after the pot for all eternity and to protect the seal. Something which I will fail in if the ground the pot is buried in is destroyed by these descendants of my family. You must stop the exorcism! I'm the only thing that's protecting the world from chaos!'**

**The miko's agitated face, etched with both sorrow and acceptance, was seared in Mai's mind. She was stunned at what she had just learned. She somehow knew that this fifteen year old girl was telling the truth.**

**How she had gouged out warnings to those in the house because she couldn't speak. How she had never fatally threatened anyone, but rather just tried to get them to stop the demolition.**

**However, Mai had to be sure of her facts before she could demand anything of Naru.**

" **But what about that mist that dragged me and the words carved in Aiko-chan and Ayako's flesh? The malicious presence that feel exactly like you? If you sealed this power, then what was that?"**

**Looking frustrated, Kaede's mental voice sounded even more agitated as she talked, bordering on anger.**

" **That's because that Buddhist monk was distracting me with his silly chants, so the power started to wake up. Every time you people tried to exorcise me, the power would wake up a little more, sending out feelers into the real world. The words carved into the little girl's flesh are also because I was distracted by trying to think of a way to get our descendants to stop the destruction and she entered the room without me present.**

' **As to the power's presence, it feels like mine because my essence is wrapped around it, keeping it caged. For thousands of years I slept around that pot, stopping the power from being released, and then this year I woke up when I sensed the danger to the pot. My own faded power is because no matter where I am or what I do, a part of my power stays wrapped around the pot.'**

**Mai could see the miko was highly frustrated, but she could also see the fear beneath that in her eyes. The ghost was truly scared of what was sealed in the pot and Mai now remembered the flash of a pot, etched with sealing paper and symbols, she had in her dream last night.**

**As she thought about what to say, words echoed around them, the vibrations travelling through Mai's body and she could see Kaede shivering as she felt it.**

" _Tsutsushinde kanjo tatematsuru. miyashro naki kono tokoroni kourin chinzashitamaite. Shinguno harai kazukazu kazukazu…"_

' **The purification is starting! You have to stop them!'**

**Mai could hear Ayako's words resounding through her being and though she knew they had no time, she had to know what they were up against.**

" _Tairakeku yasurakeku kikoshimeshite…"_

' **Hurry! I can feel my soul being tugged away from here. My power wanes and soon chaos will be released once more!'**

"… _koko no takama no haramai."_

" **Wait! What is this power? How do we fight it!?"**

**In the background, Mai could hear Ayako start the Nine Cuts and a bell resounded through the darkness. Kaede's body was starting to fade as she was pulled by the lure of the ringing bell, the promise of eternal rest and Mai could feel her own panic climbing. Just before she faded to nothing, Mai heard Kaede's last words.**

' **It is the ancient demon, Shuten Dōji…'**

GH

Mai's eyes snapped open, startling Madoka who was reading the case notes on the opposite couch.

"Oh, Mai, you're finally awake! I think Naru and the rest should be almost finished, so you can-"

Without waiting to hear the rest of Madoka's sentence, Mai flew up and streaked out of the room. Pelting down the hallway, she knew she would never make it if she tried to join them outside. That meant she had to go to the room, since they were performing the exorcism right outside the large window and she might still make it in time.

She could hear Madoka calling after her in surprise, but ignored her, knowing that something terrible would happen if Kaede was purified. Her foreboding feeling had been warning her of this!

The nostalgic feeling she had when thinking of Yamamoto-san's last words were because they reminded her of the case with Urado, where Miyama Hiroyuki's last words were to let the house rot. Sure, to let a house rot and to protect a shrine sounded quite different, but the feeling Mai got in her gut from the words were the same.

_Leave matters you shouldn't mess with alone…_

She was close to the room and she could hear Ayako's voice and the sound of the bell ringing. She could only hope that she wasn't too late, because while they could handle spirits, she wasn't sure if they could deal with demons.

Rounding the last corner, she sprinted towards the door, slamming it open.

She could see Ayako picking up the small branch from which the bell hung and she could see Kaede's form materialize by the window. The miko looked sad, but resigned and Mai knew if she didn't call out now, it would be too late.

" _Ayako, STOP!"_

The redheaded priestess swung her arms out and the bell rung, clearing the air and purifying any spirits caught by the sound of the bell. Mai could only watch in disbelieve as Kaede shimmered gold and disappeared, her lips moving with her last words.

" _Mai, I'm sorry… and thank you…"_

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAnd, that's a wrap! How many of you expected this outcome? I tried my hardest to leave clues that's telling when you look back after knowing the situation, but could also be easily misunderstood if you didn't know the story.
> 
> I decided that I would give you guys some incentive for commenting. All I'm asking for is a minimum of three comments (since I know that there are quite a few who left kudos) and I will post chapter 8 in three days instead of the usual week, meaning you'd get a chapter on Monday;)
> 
> Sorry for my shameless bribing, I was influenced by a new manga I'm reading hahaha. Looking forward to hearing from you:D


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, another regular update, as the Monday update thing didn't work out due to a lack of interest:) I do want to say thank to everyone who left kudos, but I really want to say thanks to Nine_Lives_Isnt_Enough and blondiee1396, for commenting. I'm sorry you had to wait till now to get an update.
> 
> Hope you guys like this chapter, lots of running hahahahaha.
> 
> And so, enjoy!

**Chapter 8**

Mai's eyes stared at the spot where Kaede had disappeared in a shimmering haze of golden light. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears and her breaths came out in short gasps. Kaede was purified.

_Kaede was purified…_

"Whew, it awes me every time to see the old hag actually being useful for once!" Bou-san teased and Ayako started yelling at him, but Mai didn't pay attention. John was trying to mediate between the arguing couple, but Mai wasn't aware. Yasuhara was laughing and exclaiming about the beauty of the ceremony and how the spirit must be so relieved to be at peace, but Mai couldn't hear him.

Dread was filling her as her gut clenched, assuring her this was far from over. She could feel the stirring of something terrible beneath her feet, the awakening of a great consciousness, released into the world for the first time in thousands of years. No one seemed to notice that Mai wasn't joining the celebration, no one, except one.

Galaxy blue eyes were pinned to Mai's form and Naru's brow furrowed slightly. There was something wrong with his assistant and he wasn't sure what. He had heard her scream for Matsuzaki-san to stop, but he couldn't fathom why. The ghost was gone and the case closed. What more could they want as ghost investigators?

"Mai."

Large, frightened cinnamon eyes shot up to meet his and he could see the panic in them. For what reason should she be afraid?

The others had by now realised something was going on, as they looked up to see Mai rooted to a spot just inside the room, her body trembling and the silence reigned.

Mai's voice, quivering but urgent, broke through the confusion as she stepped forward desperately.

"Naru… Naru, Kaede wasn't the malicious presence. Kaede was protecting us! She was keeping the true evil sealed. Naru, there's a-"

A rumble travelled through the earth and Naru stumbled to try and regain his balance. He looked up, to see Mai's eyes watching the floor of the room in horror, which was starting to slowly crack apart from an epicenter.

Naru knew there was something very wrong, but he didn't know what. He remembered Mai's feeling that they had missed something and as the floor continued to crack and buckle outwards, trepidation filled him and he acknowledged that they had definitely made some mistake.

" _Naaaaruuuuu!"_

_And chaos reigned…_

The floor burst open in a shower of shards and splinters, Mai's scream bouncing of the walls as Naru desperately stepped forward in a futile effort to reach her. The house, the grounds, everything was shaking so bad that it was all Naru could do to stay on his feet and he could distantly hear his team yelling in fright behind him.

His eyes were fixed however, to the frozen form of Mai where she had stumbled and fallen to her knees near the hole. As darkness seeped from the jagged hole in the room's floor, Mai sat unmoving, her entire body screamed terror. A deep chuckle drifted through the air and the hair on the back of naru's neck raised as his gaze snapped to the hole; from which a being that caused the deepest part of Naru to clench in terror emerged.

Its skin was cracked and flaking, blackened like charcoal with rivulets of what looked like deep red, almost black, blood oozing from between the cracks. Other places oozed what seemed like black tar and yellow puss. Thick saliva coated the long gleaming teeth, which was serrated like a shark's, but also somehow snake-like in its fanged quality. Its four eyes gleamed a bright sickly yellow, a glint of red within their depths. Twisted horns rose high from the head of the thing, with one horn having a broken tip.

Clawed talon-like hands flexed and a long tail flicked restlessly as the monster chuckled again and stepped out of the hole, the evil of the thing pressing down on all near it as its eyes roved over them. Those eyes stopped on Ayako and Naru had never felt such hate in his life before. He was drowning in it, suffocating and it wasn't even directed at him.

' _ **Aaahhh, another miko. How…quaint…'**_

He whirled around, his hand thrown out and a warning on his lips, but it was too late. With a flick of its claw, the beast flung a sickle-like wind at the priestess and Ayako gasped in anguish as it sliced her open from waist to shoulder.

Gurgling in pain, the miko crumpled on the ground, her blood oozing rapidly from the wound.

Naru had barely a second to register that the thing was using kamaitachi, before t moved again.

The monster readied to attack again, to finish her off, but Takigawa-san had sprung in front of the fallen woman, holding his tokkosho out in front of him. Sweat was pouring off him as he chanted his mantra, but the thing looked more amused than anything. It did, however, stop targeting the unconscious woman who was bleeding out on the ground behind them.

"Yasuhara-san, take Matsuzaki-san and get her to a hospital. Also, make sure Yaomoto-san knows not to come near here till we give him the all clear. Understand? Now hurry!"

Yasuhara didn't even protest and, with a show of strength no one suspected the scrawny college student had, he lifted Matsuzaki-san in princess style and slipped away while the creature was preoccupied with Takigawa's chants.

A whimper had both Naru and the monster in front of them snapping around to see Mai, still frozen on the floor.

At first, Naru was raging at her in his head, wondering why the stupid girl didn't run when she had the chance. His eyes widened, though, when he saw the thick black mist twisting around her legs and waist and the complete fear in her eyes.

For Mai, who felt when something meant others harm, this creature's hate must be overwhelming. Worse than Urado, worse than Okubu-sama, this thing's evil was pouring off it in waves, infecting those around it with its darkness.

But Naru wasn't the only one who had noticed his immobilized assistant. The glowing topaz eyes had also turned to Mai and its lipless mouth stretched into a leering grin.

' _ **Well hello, what do we have here…? A little worm who wants to play…'**_

Mai whimpered, her body feeling like lead as her mind screamed at her to run. The fiery tendrils caused her legs to feel as if they were encased in burning ice and Mai jerked against them desperately. A crack echoed as the demon stepped closer to her, his maliciously burning eyes making her feel violated.

She lifted one shaking arm and prayed to whatever kami was listening that she had the strength to pull this off. Apparently, the demon had recognized her position, for her chuckled darkly again.

' _ **Oho, the little worm does want to play! I do so love games. But little worm, choose your game wisely, lest I devour your soul…'**_

Knowing that she was no match against a being of this strength, Mai braced herself as she aimed the Nine Cuts at her own legs, and thus, at the mist surrounding them.

"Rin! Pyou! Tou! Shah! Kai! Chin!-"

Mai's breath was knocked away as the demon's kamaitachi sliced at her, catching her on her shoulder and tearing her skin.

Luckily, it seemed either its aim was off or the kamaitachi wasn't as strong as the one that hit Ayako, as Mai gritted her teeth and immediately continued her chant. Not more than a second was lost between the words.

"-Retsu! Zai! Zen!"

She felt a burning pain as the nine Cuts marked her legs, but as she had hoped, the mist had dispersed and she could feel her legs again. Scrambling up, Mai dived for the doorway as the monster roared behind her and a deep gouge cut into the wood above her head.

Getting up and sprinting down the hallway, Mai could hear the wood cracking and groaning as the thing pursued her, though it was slowed by Bou-san continued attack. She ignored the pain radiating through her legs where her skin was burned by the mist and her own nine cuts.

She found Madoka at the end of the hallway, unconscious from where a piece of the roof had collapsed on her. Not having the time to check if she was alright or could be moved, since Mai knew the demon wouldn't be held up for long, she dragged Madoka from beneath the beam and was happy to see that no part of her was crushed at least.

Ignoring the pinkette's groan of pain, Mai slung the woman's arm around her shoulder and stumbled down the hallway as fast as she could.

She had to meet up with the others.

She wasn't equipped to deal with this and though a niggling voice told her none of them were equipped to deal with this, she knew they had a better chance together than alone.

She could hear a low chortle from behind them and just knew that the demon had finally made it out of the room. Luckily, Madoka was waking up, though she was quite disorientated.

"Wha-… Mai? What's going… I thought…? …Earthquake…"

"Madoka, I can't answer your questions now, but we are being chased and if you don't want to die, you must run, right  _now_!"

Madoka's eyes blinked and she seemed as if she was going to ask more questions, when a sinister voice echoed from down the hallway behind them.

' _ **Little worm…what do you want to play? Hide and seek? You're it? Or perhaps… do you just want to play a game with your soul on the line…?'**_

Madoka's eyes widened and she didn't question Mai further, but rather stumbled down the hallways with her as fast as she could. Mai could see the light of the entrance a ways in front of them, but she knew they were moving too slow and that the demon was catching up.

Getting a last spurt of energy, she tried to support Madoka more fully, to move her aching legs faster, when warm rotting breath washed gently over her neck. A low voice whispered delightedly in her ear, causing her breath to get stuck in her throat.

' _ **Found you little worm…'**_

Mai's head snapped around to see the creature's mouth open wide, it's jaw unhinging like a snake's and its forked tongue flicking as it bored down on her. The back of its throat was as dark as the moonless night and she could see horrible, twisting things in that dark.

A scream was stuck in her throat and she pushed Madoka forwards, as far away from her and their hunter as possible, hoping at least her friend will get away.

" _Mai!"_

Naru's voice penetrated the fog of terror that was around her and she could suddenly hear John's voice speaking strongly behind her.

"The light of God surrounds us. The love of God enfolds us. The power of God protects us. The presence of God watches over us. Wherever we are, God is. And all is well."

The demon flinched back, hissing issuing forth from its lipless mouth. It snarled at the priest, its claws reaching out, but John didn't falter, only speaking louder and holding his rosemary in front of him as a protective gesture as he moved to stand over Mai's fallen form.

" _The light of God surrounds us. The love of God enfolds us. The power of God protects us. The presence of God watches over us. Wherever we are, God is. And all is well."_

Naru was at her side, picking her up as Lin helped Madoka. They ran out the house, with John slowly backing away towards them, the demon pressing as close as he could get without John chant burning him.

The thing was snarling and saliva was dripping as it looked more like a wild animal than a spiritual entity.

The priest was sweating and his voice was strained as he held up his chant, his voice becoming progressively louder and stronger, despite the drain it had on him to hold off something of this magnitude.

"John!" Bou-san yelled out, to let the man know that everyone is out of the house. As soon as he saw that the priest knew, Bou-san started his own chant, holding his tokkosho out as she spoke.

"THE LIGHT OF GOD SURROUNDS US! THE LOVE OF GOD ENFOLDS US!"

"On-kirikiri-bazara-bajiri-horamanda-manda-un-hatta! On-amiritodo-hanba-un-hatta!"

"THE POWER OF GOD PROTECTS US! THE PRESENCE OF GOD WATCHES OVER US!"

"On-biso-hora-dara-ksha-bazara-hanjyara-un-hatta! On-asanmagini-un-hatta!"

"WHEREVER WE ARE, GOD IS! AND ALL IS WELL!"

"On-shau-gya-rei-makasan-maen-SOWAKA!"

As both John and Bou-san finished their chants, Bou-san threw his tokkosho down right in front of the doorway, and John wrapped his rosemary around it with quick movements. A bright light emanated from the items, rushing along the house and sealing the demon inside.

Mai could see the light reflecting the demon's empty, yet malicious eyes. She shivered, as she knew this creature hated and caused chaos for no other reason than it wanted to.

It was not like a spirit that could be exorcised or something that wanted peace. This was Urado all over again, but on a much more dangerous level.

The being howled with fury as it was separated from its prey. Its leering eyes caused a disgusting chill to slime over Mai's body as it spoke once again.

' _ **Soon little worm…soon we can continue our game…This paltry barrier won't last forever. I am still here…'**_

With one last spine-chilling chuckle, the demon disappeared into the depths of the house, and Mai crumpled into herself right where she stood, clutching at Naru's trousers where he stood next to her.

Feeling him kneeling down beside her, she buried her head in his chest, breathing in his soothing scent as she sobbed, the fright too much for her. She had been this close to dying. Somehow, it hit her worse than any of the other times had.

They had all been wrong about the nature of the case and had almost paid the price for it. There was never any split personality and the words…

Mai almost gagged as she thought about the warnings Kaede had tried to give them and how the demon had told them all he was not gone yet.

"Mai." Naru's comforting voice spilled over her and his chest rumbled as he spoke.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded; still not ready to look up and face the reality they were now trapped in.

"Could you tell us what just happened?" The shock of having Naru request something in a gentle voice had Mai lifting her head, her red-rimmed eyes staring into his midnight blue ones.

Slowly, she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she let go of Naru and looked around, seeing Lin checking Madoka over and Bou-san and John lying on the ground as they gasped for breath. She knew the sooner she told them what happened, the sooner they could figure out what to do, since she could see that keeping up the barrier was a strain on the monk and priest.

"Well, after you guys left the base, I fell asleep and met Kaede-san. She told me the story of her life. You were right Naru, she was sick with what could have been tuberculosis, since she said she was coughing up blood. That's why she was so reclusive. However, we got the rest of the story wrong. The malicious presence wasn't a product of Kaede-san having a split personality, but because she was using her powers as a miko to seal away a demon!"

Naru, who had been suspecting something like this, closed his eyes as he felt a headache coming on.

A demon.

If he could use his PK, then he could possibly be a match for the demon, but without Gene there to amplify it and throw it back to him, he would kill himself trying. Naru turned his attention back to Mai as she spoke.

"Apparently, the Yamamoto family has been protecting this pot that had a demon sealed into it for centuries and every hundred years, on the sixth solar eclipse, a miko would renew the seal, giving up her life in the process. Kaede-san was this miko. However, one of the geki betrayed them and tore off the seal the night they were supposed to renew it. The ritual spoke of in the legend was actually the ritual Kaede-san had to do to seal the demon back into the pot and she, along with two other kannushi who helped, died doing it.

"Apparently, she was so strong that, combined with the blessing of Kami, according to her, she could seal the demon without the need for another miko to renew the seal. However, if the pot is tampered with, like what would happen if the house is demolished and the land messed with, then it could break free. That's why the activity only started this year, and not before."

"But wait Jou-chan, the shrine had been destroyed before and even new houses were built here before. Why didn't she try to stop them then?" Bou-san looked confused, but it was Naru who answered him, since Mai also wasn't sure.

"It's obvious if you think about it. Mt. Fuji has erupted numerous times since the Kamakura era, it is possible that one of the eruptions caused the destruction of the shrine, but it also had the effect of burying the pot beneath a layer of ash and pumice, even if it wasn't very deep. All the houses after that were built on this layer and the construction never reached the deeper layers."

"But then, why is this different? If they're going to build a house here, then they also wouldn't need to dig deep enough to reach the pot, if it truly is buried beneath pumice." John's observation was valid in Mai's eyes, but it seemed her boss knew better.

"If any of you read the entire file, you would've seen that out client is planning on building a sort of onsen here, a resort for tourists, so to say. To do that, they would have to dig quite deep and the chance of disturbing the container sealing the demon is quite large."

Mai glared at the unaffected workaholic, but had to admit he had a point. The rest of the team nodded and they lapsed into silence as everyone was caught in their thoughts.

Mai just hoped that Ayako was alright, she wouldn't be able to cope if the priestess died because she wasn't quick enough in her warning. She should have warned the miko that she was in danger, as it was obvious the demon would have a grudge against mikos, since it was them who sealed him.

"Naru-bou, what are we going to do now? I can keep up this shield for a day, two if I really exhaust myself, but then I would be no use after that." John nodded, his brows furrowed in concern as he shared his companion's worry. Naru's eyes were glazed in thought, before he turned to the monk.

"Takigawa-san, do you think you would be able to keep the barrier up on your own? Or would that be impossible for you?" Bou-san rubbed the back of his head, seeming to think about his answer.

"Yeees… I could probably hold it up, but then I would only be able to hold it for a day and a half at most and probably pass out as soon as I let it down."

"Alright. Father Brown, if you had help from a fellow priest, along with Lin's help, do you think you will be able to banish the demon from this plane of existence?"

John's eyes were serious and his brow furrowed. His sky blue eyes regarded Naru sombrely.

"It is possible. If I had a priest of above average strength with me, as well as someone to keep the demon away from us as we perform the ceremony, as it will take time, then I could probably manage. It will be a struggle though."

Naru nodded, his hand on his chin as he thought.

Mai could feel hope rushing through her at the sight, as she was secure in the knowledge that Naru would find a way to defeat this demon. She knew that demons can't be killed or destroyed, only banished back to hell or wherever they came from, but she also knew their strength was to be feared.

She looked at Naru's contemplating face and her worries faded. She knew Naru would look after them and the determined expression he wore only reinforced that belief. His next words had her smiling as she thought they might even make it out of this unharmed.

"Alright, this is what we're going to do…"

GH

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Righto, what did you think? I was really nervous about how I portrayed the demon, since I didn't want him to seem cliché, but it must still be an obvious demon. I know the description I gave him doesn't fit with the legends of Shuten Doji, don't worry, an explanation for that will be given.
> 
> Next chapter will have some Naru/Mai fluff (if patching wounds can be called fluff) so look forward to it! Please, pleeeeaaase comment, except for the last chapter, this was the chapter which I worked the hardest on:)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, we're to the second to last chapter already! It felt like it all passed in a jiffy! Anyways, thanks for the kudos, it reassures me there are people reading and enjoying it and a really big thanks to Nine_Lives_Isnt_Enough for commenting!
> 
> And without further ado, Enjoy!

**Chapter 9**

Mai sat in her tent as she ran over the events of the day. After they had sorted out the details of the banishment, Lin and John had driven to Tokyo so that John could go visit one of his fellow priests, while Lin had went to collect the material he would need to fight a demon.

Upon hearing that Kaede had thought the demon was Shuten Dōji, they had decided to work with that, though they couldn't be certain. According to legend, Shuten Dōji was 50 feet tall with red skin, five horns and fifteen eyes. He was also supposedly beheaded by warriors after being tricked by them.

However, legends, as they found out the hard way, could not always be trusted, so they did what they could without the demon's true name. Luckily, the main exorcism, performed by John and his fellow priest, would not need the demon's name, but it did make Lin's job harder.

Yasuhara had returned with tents and camping equipment that he had bought upon Naru's request, as Bou-san couldn't leave the property without the barrier falling and for obvious reasons, they couldn't stay in the house. He had also bought them all a change of clothes, for which Mai was grateful, as her clothes were torn and dirty with blood.

Naru had then sent Madoka and Yasuhara away to stay at a hotel near the hospital, as they wouldn't be any help during the exorcism. Madoka did, however, have a lot of practical experience and it was to Mai's understanding that she would help Lin with his preparations.

To be honest, Naru had tried to send Mai away as well, since the demon had fixated on her as the only other female that about fit its target's criteria, being a woman still in teenhood, who also had psychic powers. But the young woman had stubbornly resisted, till she had one of her few victories over Naru and was allowed to stay behind, under certain conditions of course.

A rustling had her looking up to see Naru entering her tent, gauze and disinfectant held in his hands. Speaking of certain conditions, here was one of them now. Despite Mai's protests that her injuries wasn't deep, Naru had been firm on treating it himself and Mai had just been grateful they weren't deeper, otherwise Naru never would have let her stay. The stoic man sat down next to her and told her to sit still.

Mai glanced down and cringed as she saw the horizontal and vertical lines her nine cuts had burned into her skin, along with the slight bubbling in her flesh caused by the burning mist. With hands far gentler than Mai knew they could be, he wetted a cloth and cleaned the burns on her legs. She flinched at the slight sting but held still as requested, watching as he smeared some cream on the burns, before wrapping her legs in gauze. He then turned back to her and seemed as if he was waiting for something.

Mai looked at him curiously, uncertain what he was waiting for, before he rolled his eyes and spoke sarcastically.

"Mai. I am unable to treat your cut with your shirt in the way." Face flaming, Mai stuttered as she immediately crossed her arms above her breasts, hunching in on herself.

"What!" She squawked, "You want me to take my shirt off?!" Naru sighed, seemingly asking 'why him', before he spoke to her slowly, as if she was a child.

"I cannot treat you with your shirt on, so obviously, I want you to take it off. But don't worry, I'm sure you have nothing to see and I am not interested in looking; only insuring an idiot like you doesn't worsen her injury."

Mai's face was now red for an entirely different reason as she spluttered indignantly at the insult. Jerking around to seethe at Naru, pain ripped through her shoulder and she hissed as she hunched over. She could feel a warm hand on her back, rubbing it.

"You idiot. This is what I mean. Stop flailing around and sit still." The anger still coursing through her veins boosted her confidence and she carefully took of her shirt, glaring at Naru as she sat in her bra and daring him to comment as one arm covered her breasts. The narcissist didn't say anything however and she calmed down as he wetted a brand new cloth that looked very soft. He then turned his attention to her shoulder, which she had to admit looked gruesome.

The cut luckily didn't reach her muscle, but only just barely. Her skin was stained with blood and it was quite difficult to see the injury under all the gore. Slipping her bra strap out of the way, he pressed softly and Naru cleaned the blood off her skin with smooth, firm movements. Mai looked down as she once again marvelled at how gently he was being,as it was unusual for the usually brusque man.

After her shoulder was clean of blood, he applied disinfectant to a cotton ball held with a pair of tweezers and gently dabbed at the cut. Mai clenched her teeth at the slight stinging, but didn't say anything. Glancing at the cut, she felt a bit sick when she saw how her flesh stood up and how new blood slowly oozed out. Looking away, she waited for Naru to finish, her entire body tense.

Finished disinfecting her cut, she heard him ripping the plastic off the newly bought Steri-strip, otherwise known as butterfly stitches. He carefully pulled her skin together, ignoring her flinch as he applied the plasters. After making sure the steri-strips were secure, he used a pair of scissors to cut of two equal lengths of gauze, which he smoothed over her injury and used some medical tape to ensure it was secure.

Done with her cut, his hands fell down to her waist and her face flamed as she inhaled, her body trembling as his fingers trailed over her skin. It was when the skin pulled painfully that she remembered the mist had been coiled around her waist as well.

Luckily, she saw as she looked down, the mist had mostly burned her shirt and the skin was just slightly red instead of bubbling and Naru just rubbed some cream into it, making sure her skin gained some elasticity to heal from the burn.

Mai let out a breath, glad it was over and for a moment she imagined Naru's hand lingering on her hip, his thumb softly stroking her skin, but just as fast as she felt it, it was gone. Naru was placing everything into the plastic bag, making sure nothing was lying around and Mai quickly pulled her ruined shirt back on, not wanting to sleep in the new clothes Yasu had bought her. Luckily, the blood on the shirt had long since dried and it didn't smear against her skin again.

"Mai, you should eat something. Father Brown apparently boiled some water and Yasuhara-san bought some instant ramen." Mai nodded and followed her boss outside. It was around four o clock in the evening and Mai was starving, as she hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. Even the instant ramen John was making smelt like a five-course meal to her.

Sitting down, she accepted the cup ramen and chopsticks, immediately digging into it. Slurping up the noodles, she sighed in appreciation and thanked John. Naru was sitting quietly next to her, eating his own noodles slowly, as he seemed deep in thought. When they had all finished, Mai made them some tea, which Naru gratefully sipped without a word of thanks.

Filling a pot that came with the camping equipment that Yasu bought with warm water, Mai started walking to her tent, glad the darkness obscured her form.

"Mai. Don't go out of sight."

"Naru, I'm filthy and covered in dirt and blood. I just want a sponge bath." Naru regarded her closely, before he sighed.

"Fine, but stay close. Don't go further than behind the tents, we won't disturb you."

Mai nodded gratefully and settled down behind the tent, just out of sight of the campfire. Peeling of her clothes, she shook them out as much as possible, before laying them on the grass. Wetting the cloth she had brought along, she started to clean her body from dirt and blood as much as she was able to without the use of soap.

After half an' hour of scrubbing, she finally dried herself with another cloth and the cool spring air, before dressing again. She knew it wasn't ideal dressing in her dirty clothes, but she wanted to keep the new ones for tomorrow, when they might meet the client again if the plan went well.

Pouring the water out a few metres away from the tent, she returned to the camp fire and sat down next to Naru. Making another round of tea, she settled back and smiled at Bou-san. Knowing that the monk couldn't go to sleep; especially now that John wasn't helping him maintain the barrier, Mai tried to stay awake with him.

Her eyes felt heavy as she looked at the flames of the fire they had made in their makeshift fire pit and her head nodded as she drifted to sleep. As she felt her body slump and tip over, warm arms encased her and her body felt feather-light. She jerked awake again when she was placed in her sleeping bag and caught hold of the black sleeve next to her face.

"Thank you Naru…" She sleepily stated, before she drifted off once more.

GH

Naru's face softened imperceptibly at the slurred words of his half-asleep assistant. Gently detangling her fingers from his sleeve, he softly brushed a stray strand of hair away from her cheek, his fingertip barely brushing over her smooth skin. Glancing at her slightly open mouth and flushed cheeks from the cold, he turned and made his way out of the tent, joining Takigawa-san at the fire.

"Jou-chan alright?" Naru nodded, his face impassive as the monk sighed and continued staring into the fire. The silence, as always, didn't bother Naru as he was immersed in his own thoughts.

When he had returned to Japan, it was with the vague idea that he would see Mai and realise once again the futility of starting to develop any feelings for the petite girl who was in love with his dead twin, yet that hadn't worked out in practice.

The first time he had seen her again, it was with the realisation that the awkward and clumsy sixteen year old he remembered was no longer there and in her stead was a developing woman, comfortable in her body.

He thought he would again use her as a substitute for Gene, but to his surprise his mind refused to see Mai as anything else than her own person. Her small mannerism and her new-found professionalism had shocked and unnerved him and it was only with her usual hair-brained antics that he relaxed, convincing himself that he hadn't missed that much of his assistant's life.

That, of course, bought up the question of why he cared if he missed her life.

The flames flickered and Naru was vaguely aware of Takigawa-san placing more wood on the fire, however it didn't stop his musings.

It had been like an eye-opener for him to see Mai with longer hair and dressed in more sophisticated clothing while scanning the monitors. He couldn't connect her to the girl who had a very varied sense of style and acted first and thought later. Realising that the notice board with its neatly pinned information was Mai's pet project only drove that point further.

All that shock and unease was strangely settled after Mai had her first near death experience on the case, after his heart stopped inexplicably racing of course. Seeing Mai was still just as stubborn and energetic as ever and still got in so much trouble made familiar warmth well up in him, one he could not scientifically explain and was loath to recognize.

He also couldn't ignore the fact that his heartbeat had quickened when Mai had hotly declared that she held no romantic feelings for his twin, her face passionate and her body quivering.

It had enabled him to start considering the possibility that she might return his rapidly growing affection for her.

GH

" **Mai." Opening her eyes, she smiled at Gene where he stood in front of her. Running forward, she gave him a hug and relaxed in his arms, wishing she could hug Naru like this without worrying that she was overstepping her bounds.**

" **Are you alright?" Mai nodded and smiled at the boy who was forever sixteen. Looking at his youthful face, Mai came to appreciate the small changes Naru's face had undergone even more, as it just added to his character.**

" **I'm fine. But I don't know for how long. Gene, what can we do against a demon? I worry so much that John's efforts will be in vain. I don't want my family to die because I wasn't fast enough."**

" **I know you're worried Mai, but trust in them. They're stronger than you think. The person John is bringing is also quite strong. Yes, demons can't actually be killed, but they can be banished back to a plane that separates them from the mortal plane. It takes centuries for them to reform and try to come back to the mortal plane, so you won't have to worry about it anymore.**

" **Also, this isn't your fault. Even if you did make it in time, you wouldn't have been able to leave the situation as it was. Kaede was starting to wane and the demon would have broken free in about a decade on its own. At least now, he didn't have time to slowly build up his power."**

" **Build up his power?" Mai cocked her head to the side, uncertain what Gene meant with that statement.**

" **If he had been left to break free himself, not only would he have done it without people being prepared for it, but he would have been at full strength, having amassed his power as he grew more aware. What you guys basically did is jerk him awake instead of a gradual awakening, causing him to be disorientated and weak, which is why he doesn't have his true appearance."**

" **Wait, true appearance? What do you mean? His looks are going to change as his power grows?" Gene nodded as he answered.**

" **Yes, exactly. You can judge how much his powers have grown by looking at his appearance. Remember Kaede told you that the demon was Shuten Dōji? She was telling the truth. Legend states that his head and body was sealed into a jar after his beheading, since demons can't be killed indefinitely. Whether that's true or whether the Yamamoto family was just attacked by him, I don't know, but he is the same demon.**

" **When he's at full power, I don't think he can be banished without someone dying in return, but at his current strength, it might be possible. If he has more than seven eyes, then you guys will be in danger, so just hope that his power doesn't recover that quickly."**

**Mai made sure to memorise everything Gene told her, so that she could tell it like that word for word, to Naru.**

" **Thank you Gene. You're always looking after me." The boy smiled, a bit sadly in Mai's opinion, but he tucked her bangs behind her ear.**

" **Just hurry up and tell that idiot scientist how you feel. I promise it'll be alright." Mai's face lighted up red, but before she could stammer out a denial or question, Gene pushed her chest and she fell backwards.**

GH

Sitting up with a gasp, Mai looked around. The morning light filtered through the tent's material and she could hear birds in the trees singing. Quickly changing into the clothes Yasu bought for her, a pair of dark jeans that fit snugly and a deep purple spaghetti top with a light half-jacket that was beige, she zipped open her tent. Slipping her sneakers on, she stepped outside, shivering slightly in the morning air.

The sun had risen about an hour ago she guessed and as she made her way to the fire pit, she found Bou-san sitting and talking to Naru. Greeting them both, she started to boil some water and crouched down as she prepared the tea. After another few minutes, she handed both Naru and Bou-san a cup, before taking her own one and sitting next to Naru. She saw the grateful look Bou-san threw her as she noticed the bags beneath his eyes and the pallid tone to his skin and knew the caffeine helped him.

After a lull in the conversation, Mai cleared her throat to get Naru's attention.

"Um, Naru, I had another dream last night, where I met Gene. He told me a few things about the demon." Naru listened attentively as she explained what Gene had said and when she finished speaking, took out his phone and walked a ways away to get some signal. She assumed he was calling Lin to relay the information to the chinese man.

"You alright Bou-san? Can I do anything to help you?" The monk smiled as he shook his head.

"It's fine Jou-chan, don't worry about me. I will be alright. My biggest worry is that I won't be of any use when this barrier goes down."

"No, you're already doing so much, much more than I am anyway. Plus, I'm confident John and Lin-san will be able to handle it!" The monk scooted over, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"Ahh, Jou-chan, you're too kind!" Mai giggled as she pushed the overbearing monk off her as Naru came to sit down beside them. The rest of the morning passed quickly as they chatted, or at least, Bou-san and Mai chatted with Naru interjecting every now and then.

Naru had insisted on checking her injuries, though luckily as she was wearing a spaghetti top she didn't have to remove her short again. She did, however, have to change back into her dirty shorts for Naru to change the bandages on her legs. She was happy to see that her skin looked much better, the bubbling having gone down and just leaving burns and redness behind. After having fresh bandages applied, she changed back into her jean, happy that the snug pants kept her gauze in place.

However, Mai couldn't forget what they were going to do later that day and her gut kept churning. Around 11am, Lin and John returned, along with John's friend and fellow priest, a man with deep mocha coloured skin, black hair and blue eyes that looked to be around Bou-san's age. Mai was mesmerised with how beautiful the man looked and she could easily admit that he was almost at Naru's level in looks.

The kind smile he have them all just made it all the better and she couldn't help but smile back. He had the same air as John and when he spoke, she could detect a hint of an accent in his pronunciation, though he spoke fluently.

"Hey everyone, this is the friend that I was speaking of, his name is Ricardo Williams-san and he's from South Africa."

"Pleased to meet you all. I heard you got a bit of a demonic problem on your hands." Naru nodded and introduced himself.

"Yes indeed. My name is Shibuya Kazuya, this is my assistant Taniyama Mai and that is our part-time investigator and monk, Takigawa Houshou." Mai huffed at being called an assistant by Naru, as she was technically a full time investigator at SPR now, but she reasoned that Naru was either just used to calling her his assistant or he just didn't see her as an investigator.

Ricardo nodded and Naru turned to John. "How long do you estimate it will take you and Williams-san to set everything up?" John glanced at his friend before replying.

"I think about an hour. Ricardo has more experience with banishing demons than I do, so he'll want to get a feel for the one here." John gestured to the foreign man, indicating that he should continue.

"John is correct; an hour will be about right. We also have to speak with everyone here, to ensure our game plan is thought out and everyone knows what to do. Demons can be tricky to deal with, so we should be careful. If everyone is not protected properly, it will just spring from the house to a person, possessing that person or even destroying their soul."

Mai shivered as she heard that, very glad that hadn't happened to her or someone else. She remembered well when the kitsune spirit had possessed Naru after it had been driven out of Eijiro-san by Ayako on the Yoshimi case. She took one of the slips of paper Williams-san handed out, looking it over.

"These protection charms should make it impossible for the demon to possess you, so keep it on your person at all times, preferably somewhere obscure and against your skin. Takigawa-san, even though you won't be part of the exorcism, I want you to keep one with you as well. You will be more vulnerable than the rest of us due to your power being drained."

Mai watched in interest as John and his fellow priest set everything up. They were methodical in their movements and efficient. Lin had also started preparing for his part of the plan and Mai felt quite useless standing there, doing nothing.

An hour later and everything was set up. Mai had placed her charm, without anyone noticing, on the inside of her bra, so that it rested near her heart. Bou-san was on the very edge of the property, lying in the car and ready to release the barrier at a moment's notice. Both John and Williams-san were dressed in their priest's robes and carried their Bibles.

John and Williams-san had placed small crosses at the four corners of the property, as well as encircled the house with a circle of blessed salts. This was supposed to help keep the demon inside the property, but the majority of that responsibility was passed onto Lin.

Naru and Mai was standing back, observing as John nodded to Lin, who sat down cross-legged on the ground. In front of him were two candles on opposite sides of a rectangular paper, where calligraphy was used to scrawl the name of the demon on it. The paper was placed in the middle of a pentagram etched into the ground and Lin took a deep breath. As he let it out, Mai once again heard the low, beautiful sound of Lin's whistling as she had when they had summoned Suzuki-san on the Urado case.

She watched as John lifted his cell phone and says something to Bou-san, who was on the other end. Feeling a shift in the air, Mai knew that the barrier had fallen and immediately she felt the nauseating presence of the demon oozing out of the house. There was a moment of quiet, before a hissing chuckle escaped into the air around them.

' _ **Ah, the little worm brought friends… Two priests this time… and an onmyouji… You don't look fun to play with… Come out little worm! Let's show them what a game is supposed to be…'**_

Mai stepped back, feeling Naru's comforting presence behind her as he held one arm around her. She felt protected with him there and her body relaxed slightly. Lin was still whistling lowly, although Mai was uncertain if he was the one whistling or if it was a noise his shiki made, who she could feel drifting around him. However, there was one problem.

Shuten Dōji wasn't coming out.

She didn't know if it was because he sensed the danger or because he had no interest in the men, but she knew the plan hinged on the demon being in sight. Another moment went by and while she could clearly feel the demon, she could also feel that it wasn't moving.

They would have to change the plan if they had to 'fetch' the demon themselves and she was uncertain if Bou-san would be able to erect another barrier, just in case it struck when they were least expecting it. None of the men could leave their positions and she knew Naru wouldn't send someone in alone, because it was too dangerous.

Suddenly, Mai had a lightbulb go off in her mind, her thoughts racing along a single track. She had thought of a way to lure out the being, to lead him towards the priests who were waiting for him. There was only one problem with it.

It involved her being bait.

HP

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now you're sitting there, biting your nails, wondering what hair-brained scheme Mai has thought up and how it's going to turn out! You're so anxious and curious, you can't take it anymore, you just have to comment and in doing so, motivate the author to post her super long 5529word chapter a few days earlier. Your fingers inches toward the keyboard as if they has a mind of their own, your mind dancing with the possibilities and excitement flairs in you.
> 
> By the time you regained your senses, you already left a nice long comment and now you just sit back and await your final chapter, satisfaction on your face.


	10. Moving Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a voice… voices in my head telling me to update… My fingers are flying over the keyboard, my mind dizzy as I click away with the mouse. The voices are becoming stronger, urging me not to torture them…!
> 
> Well, seems you guys' telepathy worked, as you're getting an early update! This chapter is even longer that I said in the previous chapter, a whopping 18 pages. I did consider splitting it into two chapters, but nowhere felt right, so I decided to spoil you guys, seeing as you left all these awesome kudos.
> 
> To the spokespeople of the telepathy, thank you! Nine_Lives_Isnt_Enough and blondiee1396, you guys are awesome!
> 
> ENJOY!

**Chapter 10**

Mai knew Naru would never let her carry out her plan, but she also knew that he was the only one who could stop her, as Lin couldn't move from his spot and John and Williams-san had to stay near the front where the demon would be caught.

Mai took a deep breath, glancing at Naru and seeing that he was preoccupied with the problem they were presented with. She could see him running over the various possibilities in his mind and knew when he had reached the same conclusion she had. Unlike her, however, he certainly didn't look accepting of it.

His hand shot out to grab her elbow to hold her to him, but she had already sprinted forwards, ignoring his yell. She passed Lin and the two priests and knew they were worried, as she could hear John call after her in desperation, even as he knew he couldn't move. She could hear Naru pounding behind her, as well as John calling to him, but she ignored it as she vaulted onto the raised walkway and ran into the house.

As soon as she entered the house, the putrid atmosphere was pressing down on her, trying to dominate her, but she pressed on. Sliding around corners and sprinting down hallways she reached the demon's lair after a few minutes of running.

Heaving, she struggled to draw in breath and calm her heart and although she was tired by her mad dash, she was counting on adrenalin to keep her going. Composing herself, she pushed the door open, wincing as it creaked and revealed the room beyond.

In the middle of the room, above the torn hole in the floorboards, the demon sat amongst the rubble. It was folded in on itself, with its misshapen knees pulled up next to its head and its arms crossed between its drawn up legs and over its chest, each hand holding the opposite shoulder. Its tail was curled around its body, the point forming an arrow-like tip. She could see its body pulsing as more of the black skin flaked off, revealing the gleaming red flesh beneath it. A third horn was growing out from between its other two horns and its curved claws had lengthened.

She could feel the chill travelling down her body at the slow rising and falling of its ridged back as it breathed, the unnatural motionlessness of the monster unnerving her. It almost felt as if the beast was waiting, as if it was tranquil as it grew; however she could feel the maliciousness roiling beneath his still façade.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to make her voice as strong as possible.

" _You're it."_

Six rancid topaz eyes shot open and pinned her with its tainted gaze. Jagged teeth shifted threateningly into a delighted grin and a forked tongue hung out of the side of its mouth. Mai didn't wait to see what the thing would do, instead she turned and  _ran_.

GH

Naru felt as if his skin was crawling with bugs as the demon's power rubbed sickly against his skin. The feeling was only worsened by the knowledge that Mai was in the house alone with that monster, practically defenceless, and he couldn't go to help her. His eyes were fixed on the door as the tension in the air mounted and his body became, if possible, even more rigid.

His PK was almost visibly roiling around him, his agitation making the power move around in high alert, ready to act at a moment's notice. Invisible sweat beaded on his forehead as his mind flashed back to the image of Mai's uncovered skin as he treated her wounds. Despite his words to her, he had not been able to resist running his finger over her skin, though it was so faintly he was certain that she hadn't noticed.

As his power flared in response to the sudden actively maliciousness of the demon's power, he couldn't help but pray it wouldn't be the last time he had the opportunity to see Mai's skin flushed with life.

GH

She could hear the wood splintering as the thing leapt after her and a quick glance behind her revealed that it was hunted her like an animal, running on all fours. She faced forwards and promised herself she would not look back again. If she had any chance of outstripping this monster, she would have to keep her eyes to what was in front of her.

' _ **Little worm, you came to play… Such an interesting worm…'**_

She was suddenly grateful for the demon's overwhelming size as the rancid voice crooned from behind her. It seemed it was difficult for it to run through the hallways, even bent over like it was, as its back broke the ceiling above it and its claws hooked into the wood.

' _ **But a game is only interesting if there's a prize…Let's see. If I catch you and win… I get to devour your soul. And what a delicious soul it smells like…'**_

Mai sped up, desperate to reach the door. Turning another corner, she followed her instinct and dived to the right, rolling and coming up running without breaking a stride. A deep tear in the wood appeared where she had just run and Mai knew she was just saved from being cut in half. Another corner and Mai could see the entrance way, and she smiled, hearing the echo of Lin's low whistle.

"And if I win and evade you…  _You get banished forever_."

She dived out the doorway, the demon right behind her. She could see its shadow looming over her and just when she thought he would get her at the last second, she felt a force jerk her body forwards, slamming her into Naru's arms, who stood a few yards away, ready for her.

With her in his arms, Naru ran back and Mai saw Lin's eyes narrow in concentration. The timbre of the whistle heightened, now sounding more like when he had called his shiki to ward off Urado. Three glowing balls of twisting light flashed forwards and Lin stood, holding the paper with the demon's name on it in his hand.

Flinging his hand forward, he threw the sealing paper like a kunai and the ink on the paper spiralled off into the air. The shiki seemed to 'grab' the ink and as they twisted around the roaring demon, Mai saw that it formed what looked like a net of tar. The monster thrashed in his sticky cage, and as soon as he eroded one string of tar, another bound him down.

" _In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."_

Mai started as John and Williams-san started chanting, all their attention focused on the demon as their voices merged together.

" _Oh Glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in 'our battle against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places'."_

The shiki pulled the demon to the ground and continued twisting around him, lightning fast. Snarling, the creature speared its tail forwards, catching one of the shiki as it sped past. The shiki seemed to crumple into itself before it flickered and faded away. Lin's whistle heightened once again and seemed to become stronger. Mai realised that there were subtle fluctuation on the sound and that the whistle seemed to direct the shiki around the writhing demon.

" _Come to the assistance of those God has created to His likeness, and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil."_

The demon screamed as the words of the priests surrounded it and Mai could see its skin starting to smoke.

" _The Holy Church venerates you as her guardian and protector; to you, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray, therefore, to the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church."_

Sweat was beading on Lin's forehead as the demon continued to struggle in its binding and Mai knew that Lin was straining under the effort of keeping the demon captured with only two shiki. The last part of the exorcism required that Williams-san place a small crucifix on the body of the demon and if Lin couldn't subdue it for that instance, it was possible the foreign priest might die.

Usually the cross was place on the person or the house the demon was possessing, but this one hadn't yet possessed anything and they would prefer if it didn't.

" _Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of 'the dragon, the serpent of old, which is the devil and Satan,' bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit 'that he may no longer seduce the nations'"_

The flesh of Shuten Dōji continued to smoke and Mai could make out that it was in the shape of a crucifix between its six eyes.

' _ **You insignificant insects! I will not be defeated like this! Your power is nothing without that mark of your god! I dare you to come near me! I will bite off your head and devour your puny souls!'**_

Mai bit her lip, terrified for the priest who was walking forwards, as she knew Lin didn't have enough control over the monster. Kamaitachi started cutting into Williams-san at an alarming rate, but it was small, shallow cuts and the priest continued forwards. Just before the priest reached the demon to place the crucifix on its smoking flesh, Mai saw triumph flash through those empty eyes filled with hate.

Williams-san's arm reached out as he spoke and Mai watched in horror as the demon lunged forwards, its jaw stretched open to show his black gullet. Time seemed to stand still for Mai and she was certain this was the end, that the priest would die. A breeze ruffled her hair and her clothes whipped around her.

_Wait…_

Naru's arm was stretched forwards as his PK caused a wind to whirl around them. She could see his eyes narrowed in anger and silver light dripping upwards off him. Shuten Dōji was abruptly slammed into the ground, and it looked for a split second as if gravity was pushing down on the being.

However, that instance was all that Williams-san needed and he slapped the cross down on the demon as he and John intoned the last words.

" _In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."_

Howling in fury, Shuten Dōji burst into searing flames, its flesh charring and bubbling. The flame became hotter and hotter, so hot that Mai could feel it from where she stood as she flinched back. The evil pouring of the being spiked and she heard words echo eerily around them.

' _ **This is not the end… Remember little worm, I am still here…'**_

With one last roar, the flames flashed brilliant magnesium white, reaching towards the sky, before it was sucked into a vortex of nothing within a split second.

Mai stood shocked for a moment more, blinking the dots before her eyes away. She couldn't believe it was over. John and Williams-san was holding their hands in prayer and purifying the house and grounds with holy water, but Mai didn't pay attention to them.

"I win…" The whispered words fell out of her mouth and her knees felt weak, so she didn't fight it when they buckled beneath her. Naru crouched down beside her and she knew any moment now she would receive a tongue lashing about her actions, but for now, all that she could do was cry tears of relief.

GH

"What? A demon you say!" Naru nodded as he calmly looked at their frightened client. It was barely half a day after the exorcism and Mai was still unconscious, though Naru supposed she would wake up anytime now.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he determinedly brought his thoughts back to the man in front of his hospital bed and not his assistant at the hotel.

"Yes and he was being sealed by the miko everyone witnessed. The words on your daughter's neck also originated from him. We have banished him, so you have nothing to worry about Yaomoto-san. I would suggest burning the house and in particular the pit where the demon's sealing pot was, to ascertain all  _jaki_  is purified, but other than that, you can continue building on the property."

Yaomoto-san smiled, relieved as he wiped a few drops of sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. He bowed towards Naru, his face grateful.

"Thank you so much Shibuya-san! You have done my family a great service." Naru nodded, his face blank as he watched the man leave his room. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Wha-…What happened to the pretty lady?" Slowly looking up, Naru wondered where Mai was, since she would have known how to handle the six year old much better than he could.

O yeah, she decided to recklessly challenge a demon and fell unconscious because of the excess jaki clinging to her. That was his idiot assistant he had to work with, who loved causing him almost heart-attacks.

But the girl in front of him stood steadfast and he sighed before answering. "She moved on. She's at peace now."

"So you didn't hurt her?" Naru shook his head silently and a happy expression came over Aiko's face.

"Good. She was nice and she told me she was tired, so I'm glad she could rest now." Cobalt eyes narrowed once again and he sharply replied to the girl's statement.

"I thought you said that when the lady saved you, she didn't talk to you." Aiko shrugged and nodded, but seeing the man clad in black narrow his eyes further, almost glaring at her, she quickly continued.

"She didn't talk when she helped me. She spoke to me later in my dreams."

"In your dreams?"

"Yes. She visited me and her head was in my voice. She told me she couldn't talk because she gave it to protect us from a bad monster. She said that… that she had to resort to carving words in the wall. That you were in danger and had to leave."

"Why didn't you tell your father to tell us?"

"I forgot." Aiko shrugged innocently as Naru closed his eyes, his face pinched. Oh, how he wished she wasn't six years old so that he could properly chew her out for her oversight. But she was and he couldn't, so he just took a deep breath and sighed, nodding at her.

His client's daughter smiled and waved goodbye before running from the room, his eyes on her back. A suspicion he had for a while now, ever since he first heard of the connection between the Yamamoto's and Yaomoto's flared to life.

He was certain there was some psychic ability left in their blood, seeing as Yaomoto-san apparently had some sixth instinct, like when he saw their name in the newspaper and knew he had to come, or Aiko and her interactions with the miko.

Not that it mattered much, their ability wasn't overwhelming and he didn't think it would ever be more than good instinct or the odd spirit. Not like his assistant. Again Naru clenched his teeth.

His heart still beat frantically thinking about how close his assistant had come to death.

When Mai woke up and he calmed down some, he was going to have a serious conversation about playing bait with her.

GH

" **Mai…It's time to say goodbye…"**

**Mai's eyes fluttered open slowly and she peered into the darkness that surrounded her. Once again she saw the familiar sight of the Astral Plane, where inky blackness ruled and white orbs floated.**

" **Mai…"**

**Spinning around, Mai saw Gene smiling somewhat sadly at her. The sorrow shining in his eyes stopped her cheerful greeting in its tracks and her hand lowered from where she was about to wave. Suddenly, she remembered the words he had said when she arrived.**

" **You're leaving? Why? Gene, what's going on?" The teen just smiled at her and started walking, gesturing for her to follow him. It seemed that Gene was thinking about something, so Mai patiently waited till he was ready to tell her.**

" **Mai, you know that spirits have both positive particles and negative particles right? No matter how evil a spirit may seem, they still have a small amount of positive particles. The opposite is also true with a spirit that seems good. The important thing is what particle type is dominant in the spirit. Negative particles are heavy and cause spirits to be pulled downwards. Positive particles are light and cause spirits to float upwards.**

" **These particles can be influenced by a variety of things. The situation the spirit finds themselves in; the circumstances of their death and any regrets they might have; other spirits; and even the living…"**

**Mai nodded, unsure where Gene was going with this. She had a queasy feeling in her stomach and she didn't like the direction her thoughts were travelling in.**

" **Now, when a spirit becomes too weighted down by their negative particles, they start what the living would call paranormal activities. Even Kaede, filled with light as she was, was starting to be weighted down by her negative particles. You remember I told you that the demon would have broken free from Kaede anyways in about a decade?"**

**Mai nodded, the nausea climbing up her throat as she listened to Gene's soothing voice.**

" **Yes well, that was not because Kaede's power was starting to wane. If anything, I think Kaede's spiritual energy was becoming stronger with time. In another decade, she would have been almost as strong as the demon itself was."**

**Mai's eyes widened as confusion filled her. "Wait, if she was becoming so strong, how would the demon have broken free? You said she would have been as strong as the demon by then, surely she would have been a match for it?"**

**Gene's eyes were sad as he watched the lights around them.**

" **Yes. But she would've been a demon herself…"**

**Mai stuttered to a stop, her eyes wide and her heart beating rapidly. She could feel shock traveling through her body, feeling as though a gong had been rung right next to her.**

" **Wha- what?"**

" **One of the most prominent influences on spirits' particle levels is other spirits. Demons are basically spirits who have lost all their positive particles and evolved into something entirely new. They cannot be called spirits anymore if they reach that level. And the negativity pouring off them are so potent, it infects any spirits near them. It's like little leeches clinging to your shadow, steadily working their way closer…"**

**Gene's voice scared Mai, it was filled with a sort of absent-minded quality that made her feel as if he wasn't entirely there.**

" **Kaede, who had been wrapping her power around Shuten Dōji for centuries, was slowly being infected by the evil pouring off him, which she absorbed into her so that it wouldn't affect the mortal plane. In fact, it's a testament of her strength that she was still so pure even after centuries of exposure. She truly was the most powerful psychic I've ever come across…"**

**Mai swallowed, feeling ill as she contemplated what would have happened had they not accepted this case when they did. The possibilities were too awful to consider.**

" **But… she didn't look as if she was tainted…? Surely if she was so close to turning into a demon in less than a decade we would have seen the signs on her…"**

**Gene shook his head, smiling gently at Mai as if to soften the blow.**

" **The way negative particles work is seen in the behaviour of demons. They slowly eat away at your positive particles, changing it so slowly you don't see or feel it. Then, when they are close to taking over, they do everything in one big jump. The change is instantly then, not gradual like before."**

**Mai nodded. It made sense to her now why Kaede had looked and acted so normal. She wondered if the miko even knew she was that close to becoming a demon. It was a good thing for her she was purified when she was.**

" **Gene… why are you telling me this? Not that it isn't very interesting, but what does it have to do with you?"**

" **Mai…"**

**Gene looked at her and Mai once again felt her gut clench in worry over the sad acceptance in his eyes. His head gestured to beside him and Mai followed his gaze.**

**There, on the inky blackness that seemed as if it had no bottom, a white shadow was thrown. It stretched from Gene's feet outward and at first Mai couldn't see anything wrong with it.**

**Then she saw them.**

**The outline of Gene's shadow was writhing in places, as if small flames were licking around it. It reminded her of the way Naru looked when he used his PK and she gasped, her hand covering her mouth.**

**As her eyes were pinned to the movements of the shadow, Gene continued to speak in a soft voice.**

" **I am already infected by the demon's evil. It is not something that spirits can just get rid of, since a demon's negative particles are much stronger than our own positive particles. Only light of an equal strength can erase them. I am also much weaker than Kaede against the demon's influence, so I will not last nearly as long as she did…"**

**Tears were pouring down Mai's face as her shoulders shook.**

" **Thus Mai, it's time for me to say goodbye. I'm going to pass on now, since that light is enough to eradicate the taint on my soul. I haven't seen what I had stayed for, but something tells me it won't be long now."**

**Mai shook her head, sobs wracking her body. She knew it was a good thing that Gene was moving on and she didn't want him to change into something evil. But the thought that she would never again see someone she thought of as a brother for as long as she lived…**

" **Mai, don't cry. I will see both you and Noll again when it's your time and not a moment before." Mai nodded as she threw her arms around the teen, holding him tightly. She didn't think she could say goodbye, it sounded too final. He hugged her back and she heard him whisper.**

" **Don't cry Mai. I can see what your future will be and I promise it will be good." Kissing her affectionately on the forehead, Gene stepped back and lifted one hand in farewell. She could see him beginning to glow as his body faded away from the feet upwards.**

" **Remember to take care of that idiot scientist. Noll wasn't made to be alone…"**

**And with those last words, Eugene A.J Davies finally passed on.**

GH

Mai waved goodbye at Ayako as she left the hospital room. She rubbed her head to get rid of the ringing, Ayako and Bou-san's shouting still echoing through it. They honestly just had to admit their feelings for each other, she was sure they would save each other a lot of headaches. Then again, if the sudden silence she heard behind her was any indication, maybe Bou-san had just kissed Ayako to shut up her ranting.

Mai giggled at the thought as she made her way to Naru's room, which was a few rooms down. Though not as serious as in the case with Okubu-sama, Naru had overused his PK. First he had used it to pull her clothes forward so that he could get her out of the demon's reach, then he had used it again to restrain the demon.

The strain it took to immobilize a demon of that strength was severe and it was only the fact that he held it for only a second that ensured his heart didn't stop beating again. It was a close call that Mai hadn't ever wanted to experience again. Today was Naru's last day in the hospital, though Ayako's injury was bad enough that she would have to stay for a few more days.

Mai had been dismayed to hear that Ayako would scar from the injury, though the doctors had ensured her it would be very light and only around the deepest part of the cut. When Mai had asked Williams-san why the severity of Ayako's cut was so much different from Mai or the priest's own cuts, he had replied that this particular demon's kamaitachi got stronger the more time they had to build up.

Thus Mai, who was considerably nearer to the demon at the time of receiving her injury, had quite a shallow one as compared to Ayako, who had been farther away. This had made sense to Mai, especially as she remembered when she was being chased by Shuten Dōji how strong his attack had been, since he had been at least a dozen paces behind her.

Realising she had reached Naru's room; she knocked and entered when she heard a voice tell her to. Naru was buttoning the last of his shirt up as he looked over and Mai fidgeted. He had not yet spoken to her about her stunt during the exorcism, but she could see the fury simmering in his eyes.

Even when she had told him about Gene's passing, he had just nodded and said it was about time, further ignoring her in favour of reading one of his books. Grabbing his jacket, Naru walked past Mai, expecting her to follow him. He was keeping himself back by a thin thread as the shorter woman walked meekly behind him.

Checking himself out of the hospital, he grabbed Mai's hand and, ignoring her protests, towed her to his car outside. Opening the passenger door, he glared at her till she entered and he walked around, climbing into the driver's seat. Starting the car in silence, he pulled into the lane and sped off.

"Naru…Um, I wa-"

"Be silent." He bit out harshly as he took a turn. Anger was bubbling below the surface and he couldn't afford to let it loose now. He felt bad for cutting Mai off so coldly; especially when he saw her flinch, but he was hoping his anger had abated a bit before he reached the offices. Looking at how angry he had been the last few days, he didn't think it likely.

He turned down the last street, screeching to a stop in front of the SPR building. He climbed out, dragging Mai out as well and marched up the stairs. Opening the door, he ignored Lin's inquisitive gaze as well as the beseeching one Mai threw Lin and towed her to his office. Clicking his door shut, he rounded on his assistant.

"What. Were. You. Thinking?" He enunciated each word carefully through his clenched teeth as his fists balled at his sides.

"I was  _thinking_  that we needed to lure the demon out! It wasn't responding and you know as well as I do that it needed to be outs-"

" _SO YOU DECIDED TO BECOME BAIT!?"_

Mai flinched back at his voice. It was the first time she had heard him raise his voice at anything, even though it couldn't be classified as a yell. He knew he was being out of character, but he had been so worried when her small figure had disappeared into the depths of the house. He would have run after her if John didn't stop him and tell him he would be more use if he waited outside for Mai, ready for her when she came back with the demon on her tail.

He had never before experienced such a heart-clenching fear than he had during those few minutes. Even when Gene had died had he not lost his cool like he did then.

The thought that Mai would leave him forever had tortured him and when he had seen her burst out of that door, the monster's tail raised to spear through her, he had felt his heart stop. The relief he felt when her body slammed into his arms was enough to reduce his legs to jelly, if he didn't have more than enough composure to avoid such an embarrassment.

His hands still shook at the memory, just like they had shaken when he had clutched his assistant's petite body to his after yanking her out of death's grasp.

"I had no choice! You saw the way the demon fixated on me! I knew I could get him to come out and I was reasonably sure I could outrun him!"

"If I hadn't pulled you out of the way, you would have been impaled on its godforsaken tail! You were  _this close_  to dyin-"

" _But I didn't!_  I knew I could count on you to save me!"

Both of them stared at each other, not one willing to relent. Mai knew she had acted in a dangerous way, but it had honestly been the only way she could think off to get the demon outside and quickly. Naru pinched his nose as a headache started to build behind his eyes. He sighed and glared at his infuriating assistant.

"Do you have  _any_  idea of worried I was? I thought you were going to  _die_  Mai." Mai's face softened and the worry she could see in his eyes gave her the courage to step forward and gently cup his face with both hands. She could feel him tensing beneath her hands, but paid it no mind as she continued to search his eyes with her own as she whispered softly.

"But I didn't. I had conviction that I would survive it. I'm sorry for making you worry and I didn't do it without thinking about the consequences. Please Naru. I don't want to fight with you…"

He let out a breath and the fight seemed to leave his body. His head fell forward as he rested his forehead against hers, their eyes never straying and she could feel his hands settle on her hips. Mai could feel her body heating up as she saw the something in Naru's eyes, something which she had only glimpsed briefly before in his eyes.

Naru's gaze was gentle, yet it also seemed to burn through her. She could see his emotions roiling behind his eyes; concern, confusion, sadness, acceptance, anger, but beneath them all, there was affection. Mai could feel hope entering her heart at what she thought she saw in her boss' face and she had to ask. She whispered softly enough that if Naru wasn't as near as he was, he wouldn't have heard her.

"Naru… What feelings did you confirm by coming to Japan…?"

If possible, his eyes became even softer and Mai could feel her breath hitch at the sight. Like a breath in the wind, she heard his answer filter back to her.

"My love for you…"

Her eyes widened as hope flooded her heart and she could feel her body sway a bit closer to Naru's. Her eyes flicked down to Naru's lips, before she looked at his eyes again, and saw that he was doing the same.

"Me,… or Gene?"

The question that he had asked her those two years ago, that she couldn't answer immediately then, issued from his lips like a sigh, but this time, she could answer him.

"You. It has always been you. It will always be you."

She breathed and before she could think further, his warm lips descended on hers and she felt bliss fill her. The kiss was by no means wild and frenzied, but she could feel Naru's cool passion burning beneath it and heat swept through her body anew.

One of his arms snaked around her waist, gently tugging her closer and moulding their bodies together as he deepened the kiss. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she sighed, allowing him entrance. Stars burst behind her eyes as her brain short-circuited, only able to think about the warmth and softness of Naru's lips, of the hot tongue tangling with her own.

She wouldn't trade this for anything in the world and her arms slipped around his neck as she held him closer, pressing the length of her body to his.

It seemed an eternity later when they finally separated, both smiling softly, if a bit shocked still.

They had finally found each other.

**One Year Later…**

Mai hummed as she poured the hot water into the two tea cups she had prepared. The sun shone brightly through the window of her and Naru's flat and her body wriggled in time with the melody stuck in her head. She was so focused on the song and the tea that she didn't realise the presence in the doorway behind her, or the soft footsteps coming closer.

It was only when two firm arms snaked around her waist, pulling her body flush against the hard one behind her, that she realised she was not alone.

"You look ridiculous, jiggling like that." Mai huffed at Naru's teasing words, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face for long. Today was just too perfect to mar with sullenness.

"Who cares, it's fun!"

She could feel his silent chuckle reverberate through her body and her smile deepened. Only in front of her would Naru show his rare moments of emotion and affection. His arms tightened as she leaned back into him, her had dropping back to rest on his shoulder. She could feel his lips grazing her neck, trailing butterfly kisses up the length of it.

Finally, unable to resist the temptation that was the Narcissist, she turned around in his arms and looped her own around his waist, leaning up to give him a proper kiss. As always, it was like quiet electricity running through her body, like lava being poured across her skin and into her veins.

A long moment later they separated and she rested her head against his shoulder, revelling in the feeling of him simply holding her. It still amazed her how far they had come in a year. There had been a time when she had never thought this would be possible, but now it was her reality.

They had some close calls, but despite their arguments and his teasing, she had refused to let go of him and they had made it through. To her horror, she realised that she was actually starting to accept and even look forward to his teasing words and actions. But then, when it came to Naru, she was always a bit of a sucker.

Naru leaned his head forward slightly, taking in the unique smell that was Mai, with her berry-like shampoo and subtle perfume. His body was entirely relaxed as he held Mai and he marvelled silently at the situation he found himself in.

A few years ago he would never have expected him to actually love someone like he loved Mai. He had always thought that Gene would be the one to give Martin and Luella a daughter-in-law, followed by grandchildren. Never had he expected himself to be doing that just now.

Yet here he stood, with his fiancé in his arms.

His eyes travelled downwards, even though he knew Mai's hand that held her engagement ring was behind him, busy trailing up and down his back. The feeling he had when she had accepted his proposal three months ago was one he would carry with him always, though he would only admit it to her twice a year, three if she was lucky.

"Mai…"

"Hmmm…?"

He smiled at her content hum, before continuing.

"You're going to be late. Luella is probably on a war path right now, ready to charge in here in search of her future daughter-in-law and current shopping buddy."

Mai jerked as if stung and a curse slipped from her lips. Smirking at his flustered fiancé, he watched her rushing about, gulping down the too hot tea and then choking as it burned her tongue. Her dismayed face when she realised that she spilled it on her shirt actually made him snort softly, for which she glowered in his direction.

"Shut up…"

As his eyes followed her grumbling form to the bedroom doorway, he was distracted by knocking on the door. Opening it, he found his mother standing in front of him, practically bouncing in place.

"Mother. Mai is just quickly getting a few last things."

"Oh, Oliver, I was worried that something happened, but I'm glad everything is alright. But do fetch Mai if you could, we are a bit behind schedule and we have a lot of shops to visit today!"

His mother, Ayako and Masako would be taking Mai out in search of the perfect wedding dress for his and Mai's wedding in a month. Looking at his mother's barely contained excitement and her sparkling eyes, Naru found himself relieved by the tradition that the groom shouldn't see the wedding dress before the wedding.

Nodding, he turned and made his way to their shared bedroom, walking in without knocking. He found Mai throwing shirt after shirt over her shoulder, muttering and clad in just her jean shorts and bra.

The sight of her naked skin had him momentarily pausing, just as her adorable dancing in the kitchen earlier had. He still didn't know what he did to deserve her, but he did know that, regardless of whether he was good enough for her or not, he would never let her go.

Unable to resist the easy target, he bent down and kissed her on her neck, ignoring her squeal as he wrapped her in his arms to insure she didn't startle and hurt herself, as she was prone to do.

"Naru! I don't have time, your mother is going to be here any second no-"

He silenced her by slanting his mouth over hers, giving her one of his rare passionate kisses that he knew left her flushed and dizzy afterwards. When he finally pulled back, her eyes were glazed and her hair mussed from where he had run his fingers through it. Her cheeks were a dark pink and her lips swollen. Giving his sexy smirk, he pulled a shirt over her head and pushed her towards the small living room, where his mother waited.

His mother's 'Oh my!' assured him that she had noticed Mai's state and his smirk widened as he heard Luella giggling. He could just imagine Mai's face at this moment.

_Not long now… three, two, one…_

"NARU!"

Smiling smugly, he sauntered out, satisfied that he had managed to tease his lovely little fiancé once again.

He couldn't wait for the lifetime of teasing her that would follow.

**The End (or their beginning…)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> O my gosh… I can't believe that's that. It's finished. Finally done! I will say now, there will be no sequel for this fic and if there is (which I very much doubt) it will not be a long story. I have this habit of thinking of a story, deciding on an end and then being unable to write past that end. Already, I wrote more than I would have originally, since the entire 'One Year Later' bit was literally added after I posted chapter 8, due to one of the comments inspiring me.
> 
> But, what did you think? I would love questions and do my best to answer them.
> 
> I also wanted to say one other thing. The title of this fic and the demon's last words do not mean that Mai is going to be haunted by that demon forever, or that he will return in her lifetime. In my mind, demons can't be killed, certainly not by mortals, no matter what faith you are, they can only be banished. That is all the words revered to, not to some epic battle happening in the future. However, if you would like to imagine some such battle happening when Mai is older, go ahead, as it is a possibility, but not one that I will write.
> 
> Regarding Gene, sorry if you guys aren't satisfied, but I didn't want him to not find peace and by bringing him in, but letting him not really be in a position to solve the case for Mai, I wanted to show she's moving forwards and becoming independent in her investigations, that she will be fine without him.
> 
> Sorry for the long note, I hope you guys enjoyed this and I hope you let me know what about it that you enjoyed:) Please, please comment, even if you have never commented for any other chapters or if you're reading this story after it has been completed, I would really appreciate it!


	11. AN about Sequel!!

Hey guys, it’s me again. Ok, now I know what I said in my last author’s note. That no sequel will be forthcoming. And I’m very sorry (or very happy) to admit that I totally just broke that rule of mine. That’s right, I am busy writing a sequel, which is probably going to be around the same length as this one and I’m already at chapter 7!

I’m sorry for all the people who read this after I posted the tenth chapter but before I posted this one, I hope you find the sequel. I will probably be finished within the month of November, maybe even around the start of November, but I’m making no promises.

Also, thanks for all the guest reviewers, I wish I could respond to you awesome people!

Here is a short part of the prologue, just to give you a sneak peek and yes, it’s supposed to tell you absolutely nothing ;D The sequel’s name will be:

**Don’t go Outside: Prologue Sneak peek**

White, white, _whitewhitewhitewhitewhitewhiteWHITE!_

Bony arms curled tighter around even bonier knees and whimpers filled the small, empty room. The sound seemed to bounce off the padded walls, mocking the inhabitant and cruelly taunting them about their inability to leave.

_It was too white…_

Eyes squeezed shut tightly, knowing that if they opened, horrible things would play out before them. Taunting voices came from non-existent shadows; because in this room, there was nothing to cast shadows.

_Yet it seemed to writhe in shadowed presences…_

The tears on their cheeks had long since dried up in uncomfortable tracks, staining their face along with the blood from their gnawed lips. Scratches covered the skeletal arms as permanent shivers wracked through their body.

_It was too silent, yet so loud at the same time…_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Soooo? What did you think? I know the first chapter seemed kind of slow, especially as it only handles the part where they receive the case, but I promise the next chapter will be the case itself and not just an explanation of it.
> 
> Please comment, it motivates me to post faster hehe;)


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